


Aftermath

by HoneyJackal



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-15 22:57:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8076139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyJackal/pseuds/HoneyJackal
Summary: (co-authored by Mineyjan) Some time after the Dragons short...Genji finally convinces his brother to join Overwatch...or at least stop by the Watchpoint on Enoshima. Despite a rocky meeting, he manages to earn Hanzo at least one friend. Meanwhile with the introduction of more members, Reaper keeps appearing to sabotage Overwatch Missions. Jack is slowly unraveling the mystery behind the explosion and desperately trying to convince Reaper that his memories have been altered.





	1. Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> I've taken some liberty on Genji's body since we don't actually know what he looks like under there besides his eyes, if you have any questions leave a comment.

At first, no one paid any attention to the man staring at the door...until it got unbearable. Genji was the only one who could easily figure out what the guy wanted (seeing as he was the one fluent in Japanese), so he was reluctantly heading outside to ask the man about what he needed, but when he stepped out-

" Hanzo?" He seemed shocked, " You came!" His whole face lit up and he quickly closed the gap between them to embrace him. His brother let out a disgruntled noise and Genji quickly freed him. " I knew you would! Jesse had his doubts, but I knew you'd come this time." He wasn't wearing the armor he had a few days prior. Now he was in a bright orange shirt with a white zip up hoodie and loose fitting black shorts...they looked like cargos? The hoodie's sleeves were rolled up enough to show his hands were completely metal, his fingers were tipped in a rubber though. Small sensors registered touch for his brain. His arms up to his elbows were covered in silicon, but a faint shadow would give away the metal skeleton of his arm beneath. From the knee down was clearly metal as well, and Hanzo could see the prosthetic feet his brother had as well. Genji had all the scars of the dragons' burn on his face. He had to draw on his eyebrows, and the jet black hair on his head was so thin compared to how it used to be. Genji tried not to be hurt by the slightly horrified look on his brother's face. 

" Here, come inside I'll introduce you~" He waved Hanzo to follow with a smile, as he turned his head, the metal merged with his skin could be seen as a spine running down the back of his neck.

"I am not here to join or meet your people. I had to see if you were real... and it seems I did not imagine your presence or our fight." and he was back to being stoic.

"I see..." Genji sobered at that, scoffing at his own naivety for a moment. He had been so excited... "I suppose I am still far too optimistic." He tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned back on his heels, "You were not imagining brother..." He shook his head and sighed softly. "Do you need further proof? I can show you everything inside...then you can leave if you wish...I will not make you stay. This has to be a decision you reach on your own."

"You would allow your murderer to walk freely? Why have I not been shackled already?" he murmured softly, his brow twitching.

"There are those who would rather see you incarcerated...but I believe you have been a prisoner of a different kind."  

"Then it seems whatever you've done to yourself has ingrained some wisdom in you..." Hanzo muttered softly, crossing his arms. He still didn't seem to believe that Genji was...Genji. 

" I did not do this to myself..." Genji argued. " This was done to me in order to keep me alive." He glanced at his hands. "...I was in a coma for two months just to make sure my body wouldn't reject the prosthetics and nerve repair. I was given an ultimatum, I die or I live and let the command do this to me...My commanding officer saved my life." He tilted his head. " I had body dysphoria for years." He let that subject die there. " Anything else you would like to know or comment about?" He struggled to hold his temper as Hanzo scoffed at him. 

"It's unnatural what they did to you...what do you know of what happened after your... I suppose it's no longer your death." He sighed deeply, "After I destroyed who you were."

" Walk with me," Genji ignored his first comment and began to walk down the street, " Have you done much sight seeing of the island?" He figured he could answer once they were away from base and by themselves. 

 "I have not... I've been through here many times, but only passing. For many years I was unable to stay long in any one location."

" They have a beautiful set of gardens in the center of the island, but I like walking among the people, they know us well enough now that this is one of the few places that I can feel...normal." Genji smiled softly, sighing before finally answering. "....You left the clan. Our uncle runs it, but the Shimada are nothing more than common thugs now. Our territory has dwindled down to Hanamura and spots along the outskirts. Other than that I only know that you visited a shrine in my honor every year." 

"Yes... he wasted time and resources hunting me. He also does not possess Father's charisma." He took a breath before glancing over at Genji. "As I said, I wanted to honor you every year. The first anniversary of your death, I left the clan. I have not returned to Hanamura on any other day."

" I appreciate the sentiment...but I still stand by what I said. You do not show honor through hiding away and waiting for time to take you, or for that assassin to be the one to kill you. Honor resides in action...but you were suffering...you still are." Genji smiled softly at him as they moved through the town. They ended up on the beach now, watching the waves and then...Genji sat down. " I will not give up on you." He spoke after some time of silence. " It is not in my nature to give up, and it doesn't matter how foolish or naïve that sounds, anija...but I refuse to believe that you don't want to do the right thing...I don't want to believe you would rather live in hiding forever..."

 "There is no longer a 'right' path for me..." he murmured after a moment of silence. "I made my choice and then again made another and gave up everything." He paused, sighing slowly through his nose. "Now here we are. And you say I have another choice ahead I don't see."

" Join us." Genji was quick to answer. " That is your choice. We're trying to prevent another war like the one that happened when Overwatch was founded. We're working for a better world, and I think you would find peace there." He watched him, " You never were a man of inaction...you always had something to do." He smiled fondly at the memories. " It's not too late...and maybe when this is over, we can take the clan back and build an empire for better reasons than our ancestors..." He smirked, "You say that life isn't like those old stories, but it doesn't have to be so dissimilar..."

 "Again, I must ask... you are comfortable with a murderer in your ranks?" he asked, opening his eyes and not looking at him. " I would rather-" 

" You don't have to be 'my murderer'." Genji insisted, interrupting him, " You can be my brother again." He watched him, his eyes betraying his collected expression with a glimmer of hope. Hanzo was silent for a long moment, then nodded.

"... very well. You have a vision... I will follow it." The light in Genji's eyes practically illuminated his whole face. He leapt up and took his brother's hands with a bright smile, hoping that would comfort him. 

 " You'll see Hanzo, this is my new family, and I'm sure it will be yours soon too." 

He led the way back, walking backwards to explain a few things to his brother, who was in charge, and then who was beneath him and then so on and so forth, " I do have a boyfriend, and I'll probably introduce you to him first. Then there's Jesse, who's been a very good friend of mine since the beginning...Hana is like a little sister to me, and everyone else is like extended cousins...also not here." He teased, entering confidently, he held the door open for Hanzo and then followed him inside. " Reinhardt is probably in our room..."

"A boyfriend?" Hanzo questioned, frowning a bit as he dwelled on that word, clearly confused.

" Yea. I...I met him shortly after I got here...we started dating after I turned twenty three? I finally got the courage to ask...I dated men before I left! Don't act so surprised," He beamed at the tease before the man in question appeared.

"Genji! Ah... who is this?" Reinhardt's booming voice always put a little flutter in Genji's chest when he wasn't paying attention or ready for it. He beamed as he turned to greet him in return and his eyes caught Reinhardt's. They held a glint of protective light.

" Reinhardt~ this is my brother Hanzo, I was just going to show him around and introduce him to you and Jesse. I don't think he needs to be swarmed by everyone just yet." He rubbed his neck, hoping Reinhardt would be the nicest person for Hanzo to meet first...he was not looking forward to introducing him to Jesse. Though now, Reinhardt and Hanzo simply stared one another down. Reinhardt was smiling, but Hanzo could see what he was really feeling just as easily as Genji could...at least Genji was pretty sure he could. 

"That's probably for the best," Reinhardt agreed with Genji, nodding before looking back at Hanzo. "Welcome to Overwatch. You understand if you hurt Genji-"

"-yes. I'm well aware," Hanzo answered with a snap. He couldn't even be a protective big brother- nothing Reinhardt could do to Genji would match what he'd already done.

" Don't threaten him now, I worked so hard to get him here," Genji only half way mock pouted. " You'll see, my lion. He's not so bad, we were pulled different ways...there was a mountain of pressure on him back then. I've forgiven him." He held Reinhardt's hand to his cheek and sighed happily. " Besides...I don't think Jesse will be as welcoming..."

Reinhardt let out a little nervous chuckle, shaking his head. "I can't help it, Genji. I don't want to lose you to something I could have prevented..." he murmured lowly, but he couldn't help but smile at Genji holding his hand. " Hah! I-" He didn't get to finish.

" To whom?" The cowboy smirked as he stepped into the room, having overheard Genji talking. " So, d'ja figure out what the crazy guy standing outside wanted?" He paused and followed Reinhardt's gaze to Hanzo.

" This is my brother-" Genji blinked as his friend put himself between Hanzo and himself so quickly.

" This guy?" Jesse hissed and the end of his cigar flared red as he took a deep drag. He was catching Hanzo by the collar and practically snarling in seconds. For a moment Genji could have sworn that Jesse looked like Commander Reyes. " Now I don't usually make first impressions like this, but listen here _friend_ and listen good. I ain't about to kill ya, no, I'll leave that to Genji if you defect; but bet your ass I'm watchin. Hurt my partner here and there'll be less left of ya than if a pack of wolves got ahold of ya." He growled, pushing Hanzo back. " You're goin to have to work hard to get my trust...Genji and Reinhardt can do what they want." He huffed, " We clear?" He didn't really wait for an answer before pushing past. " Have a good evenin gentleman..."

Hanzo simply brushed himself off as Jesse skulked off. "This is why I did not want to come," he told his brother curtly.

Genji frowned, " I didn't think he'd be that bad..." He chuckled uneasily, afraid that Hanzo would just disappear into the night. "When we head to Gibraltar you can meet the others. You'll like our medic Dr. Ziegler. She'll need to get your vitals and general health on file anyway...So! Ah, this way is the barracks, but I'm sure you remember what the barracks in the castle looked like. Let's go to the cafeteria first."  After showing Hanzo around, Genji was off to find Jesse....he was going to have to have a stern talk with him....a talk that would probably result to fists.


	2. Beginning Anew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y'all tell I'm from the midwest yet? No? Well you will now XD Jesse talks a lot like I do so it's really easy to write for him. X3 I love the cowman <3 I can't play him for shit though. ;n;

Jesse was in the workout room, not quite a gym per-se but it had a few machines and a mat to spar on. He was finishing up when Genji stormed in.   
  
" I need to talk to you." 

" Yea?" He turned and raised a brow at Genji, " You want me to apologize for that?" 

" Yes! That was uncalled for-" 

" He practically murdered you Genji, I ain't doin it." He scoffed, crossing his arms. " He doesn't deserve-" 

" Basic human kindness and respect?" the ninja crossed his arms right back. " Or did you forget all the stuff we did before and during Blackwatch. You think any one of those families want to see us?" He ground his teeth and let his arms fall. " You can either apologize on your own or I'll make you do it." His eyes narrowed as Jesse laughed him off. 

" What are you going to do? Beat me up until I say it?" He now put his hands on his hips and leaned forward to flash a smirk.  

" If I have to..." the ninja was serious, and when Genji got serious Jesse knew something was up. He really offended the little guy. He put his hat aside and pulled his hair out of his face with a tiny ponytail. 

" Fine...Just remember you asked for this." 

" You require it." Genji tossed his hoodie aside and before Jesse could really prepare, Genji had grabbed him by the collar, swung around his shoulders and flung him to the ground. Jesse made an undignified OOMPH as he hit the ground face first. 

" HEY! That's dirty!" 

" Low blows are dirty too," Genji growled, " You threw in my brother's face something he's been suffering with for at least ten years." He huffed and waited for Jesse to get up before swinging a kick at his face, the larger man caught his foot and pushed him off, swinging a sucker punch with his right hand. Genji caught that back then delivered a knife hand to his collar  _hard_. Jesse crumbled, coughing. " You don't actually want to hurt me do you? Otherwise you'd be doing better-NGH!" Genji's back hit the mat as Jesse reached out and grabbed one of his ankles, pulling his legs out from under him while he goaded him. 

" Best watch yerself," Jesse wheezed, " I don't take kindly to this sort of teasing..." He stood again, but Genji was quick to hop up too and they were back at it. For every punch Jesse threw Genji had a counter. He landed an elbow in Genji's gut, but he wasn't expecting him to recover so quickly and his face met the mat again. Over and over they went back and forth, but Jesse was better with a gun. Gabriel could always flatten him, while Genji could actually hold his own with their old commander...and just when Jesse was about to laugh off defeat- Genji returned that sucker punch. Right on his cheek, hard enough to knock him to his knees. 

" APOLOGIZE JESSE!" Genji demanded, now actually angry.

" Okay! Okay! Hot damn, you're angrier than a cat with it's tail stepped on, shit," He rubbed his face as Genji scoffed at him. " I'm lucky you didn' break somethin." 

" Yes...you are." Genji calmed, sliding his hands over his hair to brush it out of his face. " Now go. Hanzo should be in the barracks, if not, look for a balcony, he'll want fresh air. If he leaves because of this I will break something." He didn't mean it, but he was mad, and Jesse knew that. He was still a little sour Genji was picking the brother that murdered him over the adoptive one that was there through the hard times...that wasn't true, Genji wasn't trying to pick sides...now that Jesse thought about it he was really out of line. He saw Hanzo and learned who he was and let his temper get out of hand. With a sigh he stood. 

" I'm sorry Genji...I'll go find him now." 

"...Thank you." He watched Jesse go then sighed. Maybe Hanzo would stay...especially when the handsome cowboy apologized. As if he could forget his brother's favorite characters...Jesse practically jumped out of a manga for Hanzo. He smirked then slipped out of the room after him. 

 

\---

 

Hanzo couldn't take the constant judgemental gazes, the threats, and the men like Jesse McCree that pushed themselves right into his face to make their points. By dinner, Hanzo excused himself from his brother's presence and fled to the balcony, over stimulated and pushed past the point of good manners. He knelt down and hoped that here, no one would see him. The worst of all of this was that he could not tell them they were wrong. It was simply that none of them understood what he'd been through himself and why his brother had to be killed.

Or why he believed it.

Either way, it was clear he did not belong here. As he watched the sun set, he wondered if Genji would prefer to hear that he'd fallen in an ocean or that he'd simply disappeared without a trace. 

" Hey."

That voice, Hanzo flinched and waited for something, anything, but he wasn't actually prepared for what came next. "....Sorry about earlier. I lost my temper and it was uncalled for...Can we start over?" he offered his hand. " Jesse McCree..." That made him blink and stare at the other, but he did not take the offered hand yet. 

"You were right. As is everyone else," Hanzo replied simply. He ignored the offered hand. "You will be happy to know that I will remove myself, once I know how to do so without further hurting Genji." He glanced over his shoulder at McCree, his gaze hard. "You are not the only one to make that message clear." He turned away again. "You were not even the first."

" ...Heh, Big R got ya hm?" He sighed, tilting his head, "Look...no one wants you to leave. Command had a dossier on you and it's pretty impressive....beyond that I ah...had a talk with Genji." He rubbed his cheek. " He made it pretty clear you weren't leaving and I respect that." He sighed, " ....I'm glad to hear you say you don't want to hurt your little brother though. He was some kinda way when that was over..."

"No? Does that mean you will take back your words and trust me around my own brother?" he murmured before his brow furrowed. "You are all right to be cautious. I don't deserve pity or mercy. I deserve nothing." He took a small breath before staring at the sunset. "It's been my burden to carry for years now. Genji does not understand that it will not go away." His father's wish had been to end Genji's shame of the family. When he thought he succeeded, he was miserable. Now that he knew he failed, his father's voice haunted him. "Leave me, cowman. You cannot possibly understand why I had to kill him."

"You deserve a chance to defend yourself, and a chance to start over." Jesse stated. "All sorts live and work here, you'll fit in once the excitement dies down. He raised a brow as Hanzo continued though. "I reckon not...but Genji said I wouldn't understand unless I heard it from you. I'm willin to listen, and if you talk more through fighting I just took a lickin from Genji, can't be worse than a metal bat hitting me right?" he teased.

Hanzo was silent before he scoffed. "You've obviously never been hit with a concussive arrow..." he muttered after a long moment before shaking his head. "No. I have failed to kill my brother, and failed my Father. But when I succeeded, it was the worst feeling in the world to be without him." He didn't know why he was telling Jesse any of this. He'd been the most physical and aggressive in his statements that he didn't like him... He sighed before shifting. He removed his quiver and set it by his arrows. He then adjusted the sleeve of his robe, and for a moment, McCree may have seen the scars that criss-crossed his back. "My Father wanted what was best for the Shimada family. I have utterly failed him."

"Hanzo....what did he do to you?" Jesse glanced at the scars then sighed. "You....don't have to talk about it..."

Hanzo scoffed, his brow furrowing. "I was groomed to be his successor," he muttered, "This was not my first failure." 

"...my only father figure was the leader of a gang...I joined when I was fifteen, I was good with a gun and they needed someone to watch their backs. They would beat me up, make me shoot small animals for their amusement....I started killin snitches my age, brothers in arms that were just as afraid of death as I was. I was an executioner and a runner in six months..." Jesse huffed, "Then Gabriel Reyes happened a year n half later..." He smiled softly. "He saved me...just bout like Genji's tryin t' save you."

"There's nothing for him to save. He doesn't realize that, so he will inevitably be hurt, no matter what I do..." Hanzo closed his eyes, "I will carry my burdens to my grave. I had only hoped it would come sooner rather than later."

"You are jus a bundle a roses n sunshine aren't you?" Jesse teased, but then his expression turned serious. "Well, if you really want to off yerself, maybe you can die savin him instead of tryin to kill him. Maybe on an intense mission or something." He sighed, "Genji isn't going to let you go. He hasn't for years, and I haven't seen him so excited since Reinhardt agreed to date him." He laughed and shook his head. "He loves you, and you clearly love him too. Siblings fight, they get hurt and they make up. The world goes on."

Hanzo glared at him before sighing slowly. "I know he won't. He's never been good about that..." he murmured, "He was always so eager and excited to follow after me, even to places he shouldn't have gone." He sighed and closed his eyes. "He was so excited even after all this time... I thought he would rather me dead..."

"He had that phase..." Jesse nodded, "Before he could walk again that's all he talked about." He sighed softly, "That ended after he actually got back to doing missions. The revenge turned into drive. He wanted to be able to beat you in a real fight. He used to spend hours fighting in the virtual reality room. He had Winston program a bot to fight the way Genji specified. He didn't stop until the day he left."

Hanzo paused and sighed. "Of course he did..." he mused before shaking his head. "He must have worked for hours... he had never moved like that when we were kids." He sighed and looked back at Jesse. "And so he punched you and you suddenly changed your mind about me? I find that hard to believe, cowman..."

Jesse shook his head, "No. He knocked the sense back into me. Then I realized I was being an ass and came to apologize like a decent person. Talking with you has thus far changed my mind."

Hanzo huffed softly and looked back at Jesse, his gaze hard but there was a hint of warmth in his eyes that hadn't previously been there. "It takes a big man to admit he was wrong. I appreciate the sentiment," he murmured before looking back at the sunset. "I don't know what I deserve, but I don't feel it is this. Thank you for offering it regardless."

" Heh, I've been tryin to tell everyone I'm a big boy now~" He grinned and sat back. " You and Genji deserve closure, and you aren't going to get it if you run away from him. You at least need to give yourself time for that." Jesse beamed and nodded with Hanzo. " Just wait until you meet everyone else, Jack will give you the run down he gives everyone else. Doesn't matter who you are, that's just how the old man is. 'Betray us and die, stand with us and we'll back you.' " Jesse tried to imitate him. " Angela will want to get a physical on file for you, and she will probably go outta her way to be friendly, Genji talked to her about you mostly, I ah...didn't want to hear it at the time." He rubbed his neck then smiled lightly and offered his hand again. " Now though...I think we can see eye ta eye." Hanzo had rolled his eyes at Jesse's joke before glancing over at him again. There was something so familiar about him, but Hanzo couldn't put his finger on exactly what. There was the cowboy that came to the Shimada clan occasionally...back when his father was making deals with Blackwatch. He let his thoughts drift off as Jesse babbled about the others. He didn't come back from them until Jesse was holding out his hand.

"Perhaps... only time will tell if that is truly the case," he murmured, staring at Jesse's hand before slipping his into it with a sigh. Jesse gave his hand a firm shake and a smile danced across his face that caught Hanzo off guard with a tiny flutter in his stomach. He quickly let go to compose himself.

"Reinhardt and Genji went to go pick up dinner and should be back by now if you're hungry. Hana has this game challenge thing to do and then we'll all be in the lounge to have dinner and watch whatever movie Hana decides. It's her turn anyway." He stood, "See ya round mister Samurai." Jesse chuckled with a small wave. " Come on out when you're ready..." 

"Perhaps...I may also eat when the rest of you are finished," Hanzo murmured, sitting up a little straighter and glancing over his shoulder. "I'm sure I will see you around base, cowman."

However, Hanzo did not rush to meet everyone in the lounge. He hung back, hoping food would be left somewhere and he could retreat quietly to his room. He almost got away with that...but Genji soon found him, a sake carafe in his hand.

"You aren't socializing Hanzo." He teased lightly, sitting beside him to overlook the gardens....beyond that the sea held its cadence. Genji hummed softly in contentment, placing the carafe beside Hanzo's.

It was empty. 

"Merely symbolic," he explained as he caught Hanzo's confused stare. "My body processes few foods and any form of alcohol will render my limbs useless." he chuckled, "So imagine I am drinking with you..." Hanzo's own carafe was half full and his cheeks a little rosy- he'd drunk the first half fairly quickly.

"You never could hold your liquor," he teased dryly before shaking his head.

"I held my first drink better than you did." He smirked.

"You absolutely did not," Hanzo replied with the hint of a smirk, "I recall both of us waking up in the snow in our underclothes." He seemed to smile at the memory before sighing.  "I feel tension wherever I go. Your cowman described an evening that I didn't wish to ruin."

"You wouldn't have ruined anything." Genji reassured him. "Tomorrow Hana and I are going to the mall...if you don't want me to pick out your clothes you should come with us."

"What do you mean? I don't need new clothes. Mine are fine." the older brother huffed, frowning into his sake cup. Genji beamed at him before leaning back on his hands and shaking his head. He snickered.

"No you can wear something comfortable and fashionable without looking like an old man or a hobo." He smiled softly, "Even if you don't buy anything at least you'll get to meet and hang out with Hana."

Hanzo sighed and took another sip of the sake. "I do not look like an old man. It's traditional Genji..." he muttered before placing the cup down.

"Off the battle field you look like an old man, and your torn jeans make you look like a hobo. That's what everyone thought when you showed up anyway. You're even greying and you look like you haven't been shaving." He teased.

"I could run away from my past, but not my age," Hanzo murmured with a soft huff, he considered Genji's offer again then sighed in defeat. He should indulge his brother with _something_ at least. "I suppose I haven't met her yet. Will she threaten me the same as the others? If so, I will pass."

"No she won't. I think the others just saw what happened and made judgments based on that. Hana knows as much as anyone else, but she heard it from me. Not them. She has her own opinions."

"And what if they never change their minds, Genji? Will you have me stay here in a home I am not wanted in? It would be like returning to Father," he muttered with a soft huff, "I have no interest in more failure."

" If...if it continues to be so tense then you can leave, but I think I've made it fairly clear that I'm not putting up with it." Genji huffed back. " I will always stand up for you, I would hope you would continue to do the same for me as you have since we were boys." He smiled softly, " You won't fail. Consider this a reset."

Hanzo sighed slowly, "It doesn't feel that way. How can I reset and forget what I've already done?" He took another sip of sake. "You do not need me to be your shield any longer. You have Reinhardt and your friends here. My voice will not make a difference in their chorus." Though it was clear from his tone he wasn't thrilled about that.

" They are not family...not like you are..." Genji smiled softly, " I value your voice just as much if not more so than theirs..." He sighed, "We only have each other now...and I would prefer my brother be by my side instead of living on the street as a vagabond..."

"I am hardly a vagabond..." He murmured, "I simply lived in isolation. Within my means." He frowned a bit and went for his sake again. "I don't believe that. You have an organization behind you. One you died for," he murmured, setting the empty cup aside. "You have everyone. You say I have you, and perhaps I do. I am not certain yet if I'm even worthy of any such honor."

" Family Hanzo...they may be my family in arms but you are my family by blood. You will always have a place here, so long as I am here too." Genji let a large sigh leave him, " Get some rest, anija, you can decide tomorrow if you are accompanying us to Gibraltar or not....after the mall~" He teased.

Hanzo sighed and shook his head, polishing off the last of the sake by pouring it into his glass and drinking it in one swig. "I don't feel like I will be welcome there. Perhaps things will change..." he murmured, placing the cup aside. "Are you truly giving me the choice to leave? I can tell you will only be hurt if I decide to take you up on that decision."

Genji pat his shoulder. "I would be hurt, but I would understand...at least you had tried." He smirked. "You still wouldn't be rid of me that easily though. I would find and visit you often."

Hanzo chuckled softly, "You had not found me yet. Not without the shrine," he mused, trying to tease his brother. "I've hidden for years from assassin's more terrifying than you." He sighed and looked up at the stars that just slowly began appearing on the horizon. 

"You had Overwatch on you after I discovered the shrine....I wasn't looking for you until then...I was angry." he confessed. "I hadn't allowed time to heal before I decided on revenge...it was wrong of me...and it took years to realize it."

"Yes... after," Hanzo murmured. "I could fade away, out of sight. Never return to the shrine or any of my old haunts. I've done it once before to escape Uncle's men, I could do it again," he murmured before pausing and realizing just what he was saying to Genji. "Brother... you may have forgiven me and abandoned your path to revenge, but my path is not nearly so clear..."

"....are you so eager to leave me behind?" Genji watched him.

"I am eager to not hurt or kill you again. If that means leaving you behind, then yes," He huffed through his nose, "I am unsure what will come next. I never imagined I could be reborn. I don't believe I am... your family in arms will not let me, yet. But there's a chance. Maybe one day..." 

" The path is never certain. Running the opposite direction is a choice in itself, but it creates only bitterness and sorrow. We learn from our mistakes and we move forward to overcome them..." He sighed, "My master Zenyatta taught me that. Forgiveness must begin with yourself. I...I blamed myself for a long time without realizing. I blamed myself for not standing up to father and letting him hurt you, I never tried to see your way before our fight and thought it so easy to run away and do my own thing. I didn't take into account the hold he had on you and I am sorry for that...I am not a blameless victim." Genji professed, and Hanzo was thoroughly impressed with how mature and wise Genji had become. He could only imagine what would have happened to his brother if he had held onto revenge...

"I have nowhere to move forward to. I have abandoned the family. I had abandoned you." He sighed slowly, "I must drift with the burdens of my actions, regardless of what blame our father or you carry. I held the sword that did the deed." He fell silent before shaking his head. For a long moment he just stared at the darkening ocean. "Seeing you alive is difficult, but it doesn't ease my burdens."

"Hanzo....what more can I do? I want to help." Genji spoke after a moment of silence. "Give this a chance, anija...just some time. I promise it won't end like that." Hanzo closed his eyes after taking a slow breath. Genji's words and determination rattled him- his certainty of everything while being uncertain always did.

"I do not know, Genji. But I welcome you trying to find out," he murmured softly, hoping that didn't come off as too cold or dismissive. "I will give it time for now."


	3. Loosen Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this one is a little short, but my co author and I thought the mall deserved its own chapter. If you want to see the dance mentioned, the link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjLNN90yuvM Enjoy guys!

The next day, Genji let Hanzo wear a pair of his pants and his black and blue hoodie. "You're only allowed two other black hoodies. Mostly because we're throwing away the hobo hoodie." Genji declared as they met Hana at the door.

Hanzo made a face at his brother. "I can dress myself, Genji," he muttered with a soft huff of annoyance. "It is not a 'hobo' hoodie. This is unnecessary... I can wear my traditional clothing..." Genji was clearly ignoring him now.

"Hanzo this is Hana Song. I've pretty much adopted her as my annoying little sister." He teased her. "Hana, my brother Hanzo."

"You mean the best sister you could ever ask for, obviously," she stated with a grin. She was wearing a simple but colorful outfit, army green capris, a purple jacket tied around her waist and a baby tee with her logo on it, she accented with pink everywhere. "Which means now I'm your little sister too," Hana declared.

"You may not wish that. I have not been the best older brother to my siblings..."

"Spoil sport." She blew a bubble of gum and popped it at him. 

Genji just smirked. "So, let's get going. Hanzo at least needs three jeans two hooded jackets and shirts." He let Hana lead the way.

Hanzo sighed and shook his head. "I don't need that much-"

"-Ah! No more!" Hana said, holding out her hand, palm facing Hanzo, "This whole shopping trip is for you, so don't spoil the fun by saying you don't need anything."

Hanzo blinked at her outburst, sighed then shook his head, about to say more, but a quick look from Hana made him pause. "... Very well... if you and Genji truly believe it's necessary..."

Genji smirked and nodded, " We do." 

 

Hana picked the first store, mostly because she could look at shirts and jeans for herself too. Meanwhile Genji led Hanzo through the store, smiling to himself as his brother slowly relaxed and started to show interest in a few different shirts. All Hanzo was going to wear was long sleeves he was sure, but that was alright, he couldn't bear seeing his brother in tattered clothes anymore though. They walked out of the first store with dark washed jeans and three different shirts. One was a long sleeved, tight fitting black shirt, the other two were sleeveless tanks, one white with a blue design on the front and the other was a royal blue. Genji could live with that. He picked the next store, where they picked up a blue and yellow jacket, a black and white zip up, and some new shoes. They spent hours browsing, and spending more of Genji's pension than he had anticipated. 

" We have one more stop~" Genji trotted ahead and rounded the corner where he then found the arcade. 

" Genji-" Hanzo started but Hana was all over it. They picked a fighter and Hana had her group of coins ready. 

" You didn't bring a coin purse?" She raised a brow as if it surprised her but Genji only grinned. 

" I don't need more than one." 

" It's true," Hanzo spoke up, " With all of the time he spent at the Hanamura arcade." He scoffed, " Why do you think all of the machines say GNG as the high score?" 

"WHAT?! That was you?! NO WAY!" Hana declared in disbelief, glancing over at Genji who just smirked and spun the coin between his fingers. 

" Lets go DVA." he grinned, "Pick your best character this time....and I'll pick mine." He picked....the ninja. Of course he did. Hana picked a cute female character with a parasol that turned into a gun. As the characters appeared Genji grinned and held up two fingers like the character, speaking with him, "MY NAME IS-" but instead of saying the character's name with him, he lowered his voice, "green cyborg ninja dude~" Hanzo groaned loudly and ran his hand over his face. 

" Genji no..." 

" Genji YES!" he laughed while Hana just giggled. 

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" She grinned, familiarizing herself with the controls again. Genji did the same while Hanzo watched over his shoulder. 

" If by ridiculous you mean ridiculously cool then yes, I am well aware~" He looked over her choice. Her character was a good counter for his, but he'd gone up against harder opponents! Once the fight began his face turned serious, a spark in his eye again that hadn't been there for a while. He was almost pro level with this game, Hana quickly began to recognize a few techniques that tournament goers would use. Hanzo was unimpressed, this was just a game, and while Genji and Hana carefully calculated their moves and countered each other, his eyes were drifting around at the machines. Oh...they had a step mania here...and DDR....and was that- Dance Central? He quickly looked back at the game Genji was playing, but the younger would probably drag him over to the games anyway. The characters darted around, Hana's floating over Genji's character easily but he would dart back over to kick and swipe at her. Hana grit her teeth and tried to counter his moves, but it was still a closer fight than she wanted. They were down to the last match, and when Genji won, she cursed.

"I demand a rematch, this time in a game you haven't mastered!" She scoffed.

" Okay," Genji grinned, glancing around the arcade, but his eyes fell on the dance machines faster than Hanzo had anticipated, " Heh, bet you didn't know Hanzo was the best at those." He pointed and the look of incredulous disbelief on Hana's face made Hanzo scoff. "Play a round?" Genji was practically begging and Hanzo turned bright red, " I mean Hana and I can go first..." He grinned, " You need to have some fun too right? Getting out of the watch point is a start." He waltzed up to the machine and smirked at Hana. " Have you even played one of these before?"

Hana grinned and flashed Genji a peace sign. "You know it! I was never as good as controller games, but I can still kick your butt!"

" Hah! We shall see..." He glanced back at Hanzo and gave him the puppy eyes- 

" No." He reaffirmed. 

" Afraid to be defeated by your younger brother again Hanzo?"

He crossed his arms, "A wise man knows he does not need to prove his skill to everyone who asks to see it," he murmured, his brow furrowing as Genji and Hana readied up on the dance pads. He leaned against one of the arcade machines to watch. Genji grinned and popped the tokens in.

" I only need one...that is GNG's way." He grinned and surfed through the song list. "Uhm...most of these are new....but let's try..." He suddenly got a wicked grin, " Hey Hana, they have your favorite artist here..." He cackled as he pointed at a song by PSY.

"You shut up, Genji!" she huffed before reaching over him to scroll through the songs. "ooo! They have one of Lucio's hits in here! Let's do that one!"

"Oh, any that I know? Accel or HB? Accel!" Genji grinned and tapped accept. They danced to a few songs, (and of course Hanzo was still unimpressed) the scores were up and down but neither beat the high score.

"Are you sure you don't want to play...?" Genji glanced back at his brother, " Come on HZO." He grinned, Hana quickly joined in with the puppy eyes. 

" Loosen up! Have some fun!" 

"No, brother. I don't need to goof off."

"It's not goofing off! Think of it like footwork training!" D.Va teased with a soft smile. "You need lots of fancy footwork for all your archery, ninja stuff, right?"

Hanzo rolled his eyes, smirked then shook his head. "I will do one song. Will that make you happy?"

"YES!" Genji couldn't hop off fast enough. "Hana is better than I am, so she would be a better match....I might catch the next game." He winked. "Do I Am the Best....by 2NE1." That was one of Hana's actual favorite songs.

Hanzo sighed, frowning at Genji. "I said one song," he murmured, "Not one each..." Still, he got onto the dance pad and stretched a bit.

Hana seemed confident. "I play to win! You won't beat me so easily, not on my favorite song!" She snapped her fingers then hit accept.

"Your rhythm is off," Hanzo said as they were waiting to begin, "So... I beg to differ."

Genji shrugged, " You profess that now..." The song wasn't too technical, but at the same time it was tricky. Some of the moves were quick and others slow, and Genji was smugly proud of himself as Hanzo quickly seemed to be having fun. Even cracking a smile as he pulled ahead with a combo still going. FLAWLESS FLAWLESS FLAWLESS Genji grinned as Hanzo kept going. The game flipped back and forth between them and Genji quietly started to video on his phone...he was totally slipping this to Jesse. Hana was being as precise as she could, but she couldn't keep up the combos like Hanzo was, maybe the motion capture was off on her side? She let out a huff of frustration when his score passed hers by just a few points, and then he just barely broke the record.

"Alright, I'm not playing with you anymore mister 'sits in a corner until he wins'."

Hanzo only smirked a bit and stepped down. "Blame Genji. He insisted I play."

Genji laughed and leaned on the bar behind them. "We ruled the arcade in Hanamura. GNG and HZO. Well when Dad would let Hanzo escape." He sighed at the fond memories before grabbing their things. "Homeward bound then. Did you at least have fun today?" he addressed his brother.

"Which was rare," Hanzo murmured, recalling his father was often furious to find he was wasting his time in the Hanamura arcade. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Genji's words. "I suppose. I have not been to an arcade in years."

"Or gotten new clothes apparently," Hana teased with a smile, "Just wait until the others see how you clean up."

"Jesse might like it." Genji planted the thought with a sly smirk.

Hanzo huffed. "Perhaps... the cowman doesn't seem to care what styles he wears, though."

" That's a lie," Hana sniggered, " If he's not in jeans, boots, and _Bessie_  he's out of his element." She grinned with Genji, " You should see the poor guy in a suit, talk about awkward turtle." 

" Bessie?" 

" His hat." Genji chimed.

" You're kidding..." 

" Nope, he names everything. It must be an American thing. I think the commander named is pulse rifle." 

" Her name is Patty." Genji cackled.

" No it is not!" Hana giggled and bantered with Genji while Hanzo hung back. He  ** _did_** have fun...more than he'd allowed himself for a long time. He hardly wanted to admit that, but he had missed this...sneaking out with Genji to fiddle around in the Arcade, taking the time to loosen up while Genji ran around accepting challenges and flirting with the girls...He smiled softly to himself as they went back inside, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He at least had two people besides Genji on his side now. One of which was very handsome and the other was like a tiny female version of his brother. He paused to turn and glance back out down the street...out the way he could run. This was his last chance to take off he supposed...but instead he took a deep breath. 

" Genji..." His brother turned, and Hana glanced over her shoulder, " I'll come with you to Gibraltar. I'll give this some time." 


	4. Soldiers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited chapter of Jack Morrison. They'll be few and far between for now, but once we get into the meat of the story Jack will make a bigger appearance. Everything in this chapter is headcanon between me, my co author, and things I've liked on Tumblr lol. I don't have many links to share to said headcanons but anyway. Jack is the hardest for me to write for, so this chapter is mostly done by my co author. I added a few things to fluff it and I wrote for Gabriel and Ana, but anyway, a big shout out to her for being amazing. Enjoy guys!

Ana had slowly taken Gabriel's place.

She knew it...Jack knew it...She could train the new recruits and she could handle stealth operations, but the one thing she couldn't do that Gabriel had done was ease Jack's heart. She watched the once strong, vibrant young man crumble into a lonely shell...Soldier: 76 didn't have a history, he didn't have a past, or a family, or Gabe. Soldier had Reaper to face and if he couldn't reason with him, Soldier would take him down. Not Jack. She knew that too, and so did he. Jack had withdrawn in the mean time, and it was no secret. He often left on private missions and left the personal work to Ana. He had no desire to throw himself fully into Overwatch until he answered his own questions and took care of Reaper.

So far he'd found out that yes, the explosion had been completely set up. Orders from High Command had called for excess amounts of volatile chemicals and pushed Angela to do more work in a smaller amount of time...prone for mistakes. If their plan went through (which it did) they would have a nanobot infused serum that they could test on a freshly dead body to see if it would reanimate. Two if they were extremely lucky. They were crafty. Gabriel had been in the way, pointing out how stupid Jack was being to trust them, but all the young Commander had wanted was to do right by the world, and it pushed his lover further and further away without intention. So Command picked the perfect candidate, make him mad, make him hate and make him sloppy so that this could all be blamed on the rogue Blackwatch Commander. They sent him to try and make deals with Yakuza, they sent his people to die covering Overwatch bad dealings and they were now prepared to kill him themselves when everything else failed. Jack hated his own blindness, looking back. He should have listened, he should have at least pretended to anyway instead of constantly arguing for Overwatch's sake. He believed in his organization, why couldn't Gabe?! Now though, now that Jack was older and wiser, he knew Gabriel believed in Overwatch, he just didn't believe in the people who ran it. The other part he had found out, was that HC didn't even care about him! They didn't try to stop him from running into the blast, because they had  _clones_  of their precious poster child. If Jack's body had been recovered, he would have been replaced by a clone with implanted memories, and possibly no recollection of Gabriel at all. It made his skin crawl. At the moment, Jack was looking over a map, pinning the places he and Reaper had clashed and marking X's where he thought Reaper would strike next. Athena's upgrades had allowed her to become a sort of hacking program to combat whatever Talon's Sombra had used. Ana came up beside him. 

" Any sign?" She peered over his shoulder, " You still haven't quite shared with me what you've found out either."

"There's nothing to share. He's with Talon, he's trying to get more information on Overwatch, and I'm looking for a pattern to trap him in."

"The explosion." She reiterated. "I know about talon..."

" ....It was set up." Jack grimaced. " Gabriel was one of the few who could disarm it, and I had to go and open my god damn mouth and get us both nearly killed." He huffed, and sat back. " I just....I wanted to talk to him, to tell him I believed him and I loved him and beg him to come back to me..." He glanced at Ana then hardened his resolve. " So, I'm going to keep looking for him and hopefully all of that anger is conditioned..." 

" Makes sense..." Ana sighed, lightly rubbing his back as she sat beside him. He moved away from her hand, but not away from her. "Do we have any idea where he might go next? Any sightings at all?" 

Jack scoffed and shook his head. "If I knew that don't you think I'd be there instead of staring at a map?"  he muttered, "I think maybe China..."

"You haven't slept have you?"

" Lijiang?" 

" Jack, you haven't answered my question." 

"And I'm declining to tell you," Jack muttered in repsponse to her words. "....Yes, Lijiang. There's a tower there. I don't know what he wants though." He fell silent after that before shaking his head. "I haven't. I will once he's dead."

" Don't talk like that...come on, we'll rally a team together and go after him once you're rested." She pressed a button and the hologram map immediately faded. " Athena, please lock the commander out of the mission files, protocol 3, it's interfering with his health." 

" Yes ma'am." 

" Oooh Winston even made her polite." Ana giggled before pulling Jack out of his chair. " Come now, don't make me dart you." 

" I'm going! I'm going," he grumbled. 

 

Ana practically tucked him in, and he grumbled and complained the whole time. Once she was gone though, he was quick to fall asleep, no matter how hard he struggled to stay awake. His dreams were usually black, but recently his memories had permeated them.  Gabriel Reyes was a piece of work when they were young. As a volunteer SEP recruit, Jack was convinced he was half nutcase and half tactical genius. He was also convinced that Reyes hated his guts. He was always looking at him with these strange faces and seemed to take notice of Jack doing things more than others.

He didn't know what to make of it, but he knew this was just going to get weird if he didn't do something. He sat right across from Reyes.

"Reyes," he greeted curtly, staring at him for a moment, "you got a problem with me?"

"Morrison." he responded in greeting, but it sounded more like a sneer, " Maybe." Except his whole expression changed. No longer was the sour glower hanging over his features...He was smirking like he just won a game. Jack couldn't quite believe the sudden change in Gabriel's demeanor. One minute he looked ready to murder his food, and the next he looked like the cat who caught the canary. It was confusing, but Jack smirked a bit. Maybe the sour face was how Reyes naturally was. "Depends on how you're willing to settle it boy scout." the other snickered and Jack huffed at the nickname. 

"Well you haven't told me what the problem is," Jack replied, "Here I thought you were a complex man, brooding and ready to spill his thoughts..."

"Brooding? I don't brood." He huffed, "I stew." Gabriel teased, "Better eat up before the next round of training starts. I'm not going to go easy on you kids. " He scoffed and as he finished up his food, his eyes flicked up and down Jack's body.   _Oh I caught that you sneaky bastard._

"I see..." Jack muttered, raising a brow. "What do you stew about?" He tried to play it off, but his handsome CO had just flirted with his eyes and the poor kid was bright red....Gabriel had smirked at that. 

"Better eat up before the next round of training starts. I'm not going to go easy on you kids. " He stood to dump his tray but his food was only half eaten...maybe he wasn't hungry?  Jack wasn't sure he was hungry anymore either. He was more confused and concerned about what the hell just happened and what that meant...was it just his imagination that Gabriel wanted him and didn't hate him? He shoved three bites of food down before standing to go find out. The rest of the day was a blur even for him back then, and his dream skipped right to the juicy bits. 

Gabriel called for the trainees and crossed his arms. "Alright señoritas line up!" he glanced over the group, "We're working hand to hand combat today, if my back doesn't hit the mat you fail your exam." He dropped his arms, "Grab your sparring partner and get to work, I'll call the first examinee in twenty minutes." Jack was in line, but he was already distracted by his own thoughts. Did Gabriel like him? What if he did? What would he do? What should he do? His heart was already pounding when they broke off into sparring groups. 

Combatant after combatant fell, Gabriel had so far only been brought to his knees, since no one could put him back on the mat he pity passed the ones who put him on his knees. "Morrison! You're up Indiana." He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. Jack's heart was jumping into his throat now. Gabriel crossed his arms and watched him. Everyone seemed to stop. Jack had been the top of their division, so this was going to be a fight to watch. "Ready?"

He stepped up and nodded. "More than I'll ever be," he declared before raising his hands. He took the first swing which Gabriel caught and flat hand slapped Jack's cheek.

" Keep trying." He sneered as Jack pulled away then threw another punch. Gabriel stepped out of the way and biffed him on the back of his head, but that only made Jack wheel around and kick at him. He hit Reyes square on the shoulder blade. That set him off.  The fight truly was one to watch. For every hit Reyes got in, Jack matched with one of his own and vice versa. It was rough and it was brutal and it became more like an MMA match than a friendly spar. Finally, he saw an opening. He ducked a punch, swept at Gabriel's leg as a distraction and shot up to push his upper half down to upset his balance. When Reyes hit the ground, Jack was there to pin him, panting and resting over his hips. However, he had lowered his head to Gabriel's ear. "Your move, Reyes," he breathed out before releasing him and standing to the cheers of his fellow trainees. Gabriel lay there stunned for a second, then sat up and smirked, quickly grabbing Jack's collar and pulling him close. 

"Bet your ass Morrison..."  Jack only smirked a bit, knowing he'd passed as Gabe released him. He definitely felt something else in the pit of his stomach, though, and he was grateful for the sweats and not an actual uniform that might reveal more as he left the training room.

That evening, he was walking through the barracks alone when Gabriel seemed to come out of nowhere. He practically leapt out of his skin as he suddenly pinned him to the wall, his eyes wide and his cheeks a little red. "C-captain?" 

"I hope you meant what you said Indiana..." Gabriel smirked, planting his elbow against the wall and leaning a little closer, "I'm not an animal...so I'm not going to take you against the wall, but if you finish your work early on Saturday I know a nice restaurant off base we can go to...If you're interested." Jack had been anticipating everything... and definitely not just a simple suggestion to go out to dinner.

"That all you got?" he murmured back, though there was a light in his eyes. "Yeah, I might be interested..." Gabriel retorted with a deep kiss that left Jack a little weak in the knees.

" I don't think you need much more, cariño..." He smirked and stuck a piece of paper in Jack's hand then left him there, making his way to his own room, and leaving Jack in the barrack dorms...and hard. _Shit... that was sexy..._

 The paper had Gabriel's number on it.

 

Jack woke up to his alarm after that...sitting up and rubbing his head with a sigh. " Gabe...what happened to us?" He groaned and stared up at the ceiling. " I'm coming, you stubborn ass. Be ready for it." He smirked to himself and slid out of bed...Genji was bringing in his brother and he needed to be ready to meet him anyway....besides, he wasn't going to let Ana have all the fun looking for Gabe either. 


	5. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long but I had a whole bunch of things pile up at once. Enjoy!

"Hanzo....what more can I do? I want to help." Genji spoke after a moment of silence. "Give this a chance, anija...just some time. I promise it won't end like that."

The day came to leave Enoshima for Gibraltar. The flight was uneventful, Genji was trying to keep a conversation between everyone but Hanzo seemed to just stay silent. He had kept to himself for most of the flight, noticing that the place they were going would not be easy to slip away from. Maybe that had been intentional on Genji's part. He followed his brother to his room, when Jesse stepped in.

"Go take a break Genji I'll brother-sit. Ready for a tour Samurai?" Jesse leaned in the doorway with a smile, waving Genji off. "You looked like you could use a breather too."

"Hn... I suppose. Though I don't call a tour with you a break," he mused, glancing at his brother. He nodded at him, as if to tell him he would be okay and he could handle Jesse alone.  Genji paused, then smiled softly and slipped away, letting Jesse deal with Hanzo, maybe it would be better to take a little break. 

"It's a break when the object of your misery isn't around..." Jesse sighed. "He's tryin too hard bless his heart." He shook his head and stood up straighter. "Ya hungry? Thirsty? Wanna try the practice range before we get started?"

"No, no, and perhaps. I am out of arrows, however. I have not had much time to create new once since my fight with Genji. I believe I only have two left..."

" Then we can fletch more in the work shop if you want, I used to help one of the Blackwatch guys with it." He grinned, " Used to call him Tanto too he hated it." Jesse laughed. " If you don't mind an old cowboy helpin out anyway." He tilted back his hat and flashed the brightest smile, Hanzo willed his heart be still...stupid smiley cowman.

He nodded slowly. "These are very delicate arrows. Like small pieces of machinery... a second hand will help, but the moment you ruin one, you may no longer touch them," he warned with a stern gaze. His arrows were specialized, and each needed to be able to perform multiple functions. He paused, wondering if that was too harsh. Would Jesse leave? Change his mind about him? The Jesse of their youth might have seen it as a challenge, but now Hanzo couldn't be sure of anything. "I apologize, but they are very specialized."

"Understood." Jesse nodded, waving him to follow. "Harson's arrows were similar." He beamed, "Don't apologize, sweet thing~ I get it." He could not believe he just flirted that hard...but at the same time he didn't care. Hanzo only stared, but he felt his heart stop. _Sweet thing._ It was so blatant, so obvious, but why? Hanzo was not the man of his youth, and he carried a burden larger than Jesse fully understood. This cowman was complicated, even more so now that they were both older.

"Let's get ta fletchin."

" Lead on." 

The workshop was just outside Winston's lab across the runway and in a smaller building. Jesse led them up to the roof of the building so they could see the ocean and work. "I'm a visual learner, I'll watch you first."

Hanzo sat down once he collected the parts he needed, not replying to Jesse at first, just constructing an arrowhead from the pieces he'd collected. It took several minutes, but soon the arrowhead was finished. "These first. Then we will do the shaft and feathers," he murmured, "But the head is the hardest part. especially when you work on spread arrows or reconnaissance arrows." 

Jesse just nodded and followed his work, making an arrowhead very similar. " Like that?" He smirked as he was given an affirmative and continued working until they had at least eighteen arrow heads. " Now the shaft right?" He smiled softly and waited for his next instructions.

"Yes... so far you can continue the job, cowman," he murmured, showing him how to carefully craft the carbon fiber tube into a usable shaft for an arrow. Jesse worked with him, carefully following instructions as they were given. He beamed and nodded. with each one. They continued on like that in mostly silence until Hanzo had eighteen new arrows for his quiver. "These will do nicely," he murmured before glancing at Jesse. He seemed to be considering him for a moment. "Thank you for your help..."

"Yea no problem...would you rather do the range now or later?" He sat back and sighed softly. "Sunsets round here are amazing."

"I would like to keep these arrows for an actual fight," Hanzo murmured, gathering them up together. "Unless you have arrows to use at the practice range, we can wait for another time." He stood from his kneeling position, watching Jesse expectantly. "No more than anywhere else, I'm sure..."

The cowboy blinked then smiled brightly, " So, have you met Winston yet?"

 

Jesse started there, introducing Winston to Hanzo, and the gorilla seemed excited to meet him. Genji had apparently told Winston all about him, and it had been fond memories Winston heard, more than Jesse had cared to learn anyway. He also described in detail the sort of things Hanzo could do not just with a bow, but a sword as well. How Hanzo had trained in the art of swordplay and archery. It made the other a little too excited about it, but he composed himself and offered to help him with any adjustments he wanted to make. It was shocking to meet someone who wanted him to stick around, to say the least, but Hanzo couldn't help but think bitterly that it was an _ape_  and not a person. Still, it was refreshing from the threats to his person.

Next they made their way into the base itself, turned from a cargo hold and storage area into a fully operational headquarters. " Up there is command, that's where Commander Morrison usually hangs out, we'll be going up there so you can meet Angela and get a physical on file."

He glanced over at Jesse. "Is all that truly necessary? I am in fine health..."

"She needs records of that." Jesse nodded. "She's our medical advisor and field medic. All at once until we get more." He rapped on the door just in case and smirked as Fareeha slid past them with a slight blush. "If it isn't the angel herself." He greeted Angela. "Doc this is Hanzo, Genji's brother...Hanzo this is Doctor Angela Ziegler."

"Greetings," she smiled warmly and offered her hand. "Genji has told me many things about you Hanzo. Mostly good things I can assure you." She giggled.

"Somehow I doubt that," he murmured in response to her words, but she must not have heard him for she continued. 

"Are you visiting or are you joining? I'll need to go over a physical with you if you're joining. Also, before each mission if you are paired with Captain Amari you'll need an injection of nano receptors for her biotic rifle." She smiled lightly. "This is just a routine physical though right?" She smiled softly. "Please take a seat it won't take long."

"I don't know. Everyone seems insistent on a physical. I suppose the assumption is that I am joining..." He sighed and sat down before glancing at Jesse. "... you are planning on staying?" he asked in confusion.

"Unless you need some privacy with the doc," Jesse offered.

Angela just smiled softly, "it's alright....Genji couldn't find anyone else to talk to at the time so it was Reinhardt, Winston and I. Jesse didn't want to hear it and Gabriel...didn't help." Jesse seemed uncomfortable about that statement, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. 

"I gathered as much about the rest," he murmured with a soft huff. He was a bit surprised though- Reinhardt just seemed to constantly be watching him... not like Winston and supposedly Angela at this point. He quickly changed the subject back to the task at hand with: "I have not been to a doctor since I was a little boy. What do you need from me?"

Angela's eyes widened then she huffed. "You need a full exam then." She looped her stethoscope over her neck then huffed. "Jesse I may ask you to leave after all. If you are uncomfortable with a female doctor I can give you a recommendation to a doctor in town-"

 "It's fine, I would rather not delay this process needlessly," he murmured with a stern gaze, trying to communicate that ultimately he didn't care, he just wanted whatever was going to happen to be over with. He glanced at Jesse when Angela suggested that he leave, shrugging before waving him off. He didn't expect him to want to stay here for a boring exam anyway.

Angela soon pulled out latex gloves and sat them aside, " I mean it when I say full exam, Mr. Shimada, you should see your doctor at least once a year, and even that is too infrequent." She huffed, " Jesse, out!"

" Yes, ma'am. I'll be right outside the door darlin." He winked at Hanzo as Angela huffed.

" Shirt off please," she was back to being calm and polite. 

"This is unnecessary," he muttered before huffing as Jesse was shooed out of the room. "I do not have time for doctors, nor the money for them. I've been fine until now." Still, he didn't protest when it came to his shirt. His pants were another story, but for now, he just removed his shirt and placed it aside, revealing he was still well built and toned for his age. He had scars zig zagging over his back, some had been reopened or raced over again and again...Angela had thought Lashing to be ruled barbaric and illegal as punishment, but Hanzo's skin told a different story. She frowned, having not believed Genji when he told her at first. 

" ....You're surprisingly healthy things considered..." She ran her hands over his back first, pressing with force enough to feel deep tissue, but not hurt so long as no serious injury had been sustained, " Any pain?... He wasn't exaggerating I see...I can tell where one got infected...seems to have healed nicely though." She traced the largest scar over his back with a finger. Hanzo winced at that though, shifting a bit away from her fingers.

"It will always hurt," he muttered. On closer inspection it was clear the scars had never been properly treated wounds, but they'd healed enough on their own. "I'm fine," he reiterated after a moment.

" ...Residual nerve damage then..." She frowned, " I'm afraid I can't do much for that, but prescribe a topical ointment...it doesn't impair your movement right?" She moved to his front, doing the same and trying to feel for anything out of the ordinary. She continued with her exam before sighing softly. 

"You don't need to do anything," Hanzo stated simply, "I am still able to walk, sleep, and fire my arrows. The pain is just a reminder of my past." He held still as Angela continued even though her stethoscope was very cold.

" If you don't stay...where would you go?" She suddenly wondered.

"I do not know. I don't have a plan, but I can see if I leave, Genji will suffer... so I may stay but stay out of the  way."

Angela smiled lightly at that. "At least you wouldn't be abandoning him." She pressed her stethoscope to his back. "Deep breath.....again....and again.....one more time...Everything seems normal at least, Mr. Shimada..." She was soon looking through his ears, checking his eyes and then putting the equipment away. "Now, once again if you're uncomfortable with me checking further I can refer you to another doctor..." She tilted her head, " You should get your prostate examined regularly though."

"This really isn't necessary, but the doctor I had as a child was female... if you must continue, then do so..."

The gloves were on and she nodded, " Then you won't mind at all."

 

Hanzo left with a clear bill of health and an overly friendly Angela, trying to make up for being handsy. Jesse came in to rescue him and laughed lightly. " She's just concerned, but you were perfectly healthy right?" He grinned, " I guess the last people you need to meet are the bosses, Commander Morrison and Captain Amari..." Hanzo didn't think he would ever be so glad to see the cowman, but he was easier to deal with than Angela.

"Nothing I cannot handle or that anyone needs to concern themselves with," he stated with a nod. He paused when Jesse mentioned the bosses however. "Must I? The way you described the commander made it seem like he would react in a similar fashion as you did." 

" He's really not so bad if you catch him on a good day. More level headed than I am too..." He rubbed his neck, " He's been pretty stressed out lately though... Ana might be a better choice then." 

The tour ended with Ana, she was in her office sipping from a small, ornate tea cup. She glanced up at Jesse knocking, " Come in~" She blinked then set her cup aside and stood, rounding her desk to smile softly and offer her hand once introduced. 

" You must be Genji's older brother, I'm glad to see you here." Hanzo seemed shocked which made her chuckle. " I'm not one to dwell in the past, I believe everyone can change when given a choice or faced with the consequences, you will not get any flak from me...however, Jack will expect a certain level of obedience and composure. My advice? Let him approach you." She beamed, " He will come around when he's ready...tea for you boys?" 

" No ma'am, thank ya though." Jesse beamed, Hanzo took a cup though, and he drank it in silence while Ana explained her position. If Hanzo did stay it would seem he and Genji would work closely with her.

 

Jesse led Hanzo back to the lounge when they finished, " That's about all I can show ya, unless you want to go see Genji's garden." He smiled, " Wouldn't surprise me if he's up there right now."

"Genji has a garden?" he asked in shock, glancing over at Jesse. "Where is it?"

He grinned, then started to lead again. " He put it together after he came back, Zenyatta told him to focus on something that needed his attention and time. So Genji picked a garden. He's usually up there tending to it when he stresses out." He waved Hanzo to follow. " He comes up here to meditate too." They made their way outside and back towards Winston's lab. Then they trotted up some carved out stairs to a terrace in the rock around them. Genji's garden was much smaller than the ones in Hanamura but he styled it similar. A portion of it was a rock zen garden like the courtyard back home, and the rest was a collection of small flowers and one cherry tree leaning over the boulder in the zen garden...obviously where Genji liked to sit.

" It's cute." Jesse grinned. " He put it up here so he could look out over the ocean and the base." Hanzo followed Jesse, but when he emerged, it was completely different than what he expected. He wasn't sure why he thought Genji would completely break with tradition, but he'd expected him to create something extravagant or influenced by Western or other cultures. When he emerged to see a mini version of Hanamura, he felt a lump catch in his throat.

"Genji," he murmured with shaking voice under his breath, carefully stepping out into the garden. He stepped on the placed stones, looking at how carefully the zen garden had been put together. It was beautiful... breathtaking even. "My brother did all of this alone?"

" Yea, I offered to help, but he said the whole point to a Zen Garden is to think while you take care of it. He didn't want distractions..." Jesse put his hands in his pockets and followed, careful not to step in the carefully manicured gravel. " You okay, Hanzo?" Hanzo took a deep breath and sighed slowly. He settled into the spot beneath the cherry tree.

"This... Genji and I used to maintain our father's garden. This is a miniature version of it," he murmured, "To think he put so much time and care into the garden... he's recreated everything," he murmured, taking another deep breath, "I thought he would have moved away from tradition..." 

Jesse chuckled and leaned on the rock, " Guess not..." He sighed, " It is really peaceful up here though, ain't it?"

Hanzo nodded, looking out over the view. "It is the perfect spot to meditate..." he mused before congratulating his brother in his head.

He watched Hanzo with a soft smile, "There are a lot of things Genji still keeps around. You should see his and Reinhardt's room. Between the old man's armor and hammer, and Genji's...well stuff, it looks like a regular museum in there." He glanced up at him. " You should see what he kept...maybe there's something you two can talk about."

"He's kept things from Hanamura?" he murmured before shaking his head. "No, I will not go into his room. If he wishes to show me something, then he will do so. I already feel as if I am invading his space."

" You're not invading anything..." Genji chuckled as he soon joined them. " I'm glad you like it..."

Jesse blinked and huffed, "For some reason I always think I'm gonna hear ya." He rolled his eyes, " Should I leave you two to it?"

" You don't have to, I just came to water some of the plants...we're not supposed to get rain for a few more days I don't want them to die...or I can have you do it." He teased.

" Take care of your flowers, Genji." Jesse laughed.

"Where did you come from? How much did you hear?" Hanzo demanded with a soft huff of frustration before he tried to relax and not get angry at Genji. He was silent before clearing his throat. "Genji... this garden is like the one back home." He stated that simply, but Genji would know there was a question in his voice.

He chuckled, " Yes it is...I needed something to ground me and this is what came of it...I miss home." He watered his plants and glanced out over the ocean. " I didn't hear much, just that you thought you were invading my space. I don't mind others coming up here, so you aren't invading anything. I just take care of it."

Jesse gave a nod before sighing softly, " Angela and Fareeha like to have picnics out here too."

"I am not like the others here. You know that," he murmured.

Hanzo sighed and stood slowly. "Well... you've recreated every inch... it's impressive to say the least..." he murmured before stepping carefully away from the tree and avoiding the gravel. He then glanced at Jesse. "Thank you for the tour, but I must go now..."

"You're my brother." Genji reminded him, Jesse seemed confused.

"Yea...do you want me to walk with you back to your room?" He offered softly, not wanting to push his luck.

Hanzo took a breath and looked back at Genji. He seemed to linger for a moment before he reluctantly sat down opposite the cherry tree. He ignored Jesse for now- this action was a big enough concession. "I am..."

"Alright....I'll see you later." He took his leave.

 

"Do you like it here at least?" Genji finished with his flowers then moved to sit under the tree with Hanzo. "Not just the garden, but everything else...everyone else." he leaned back against the tree.

Hanzo tensed as Genji sat beside him, but he didn't move away. "Not everyone, no. Some of the people here are good," he murmured, sighing slowly. "Your cowman for one..." He wondered if Genji remembered Jesse coming to their home. "... he is aggressive, then insists on kindness. Rough around the edges, perhaps..."

" He wasn't going to insist on kindness," Genji huffed, " He's like...a large dog sometimes. You have to remind him how to be civil." He teased with a smile.

"Indeed," Hanzo scoffed.

" But he's your type~ " The younger Shimada caught a wicked grin, " I think he likes you too...." 0v0 Genji put his hands together and then pressed his index fingers to his mouth, still grinning like a fool. " Am I right? Your blush says I'm right..." Hanzo flushed and pursed his lips as Genji switched gears so quickly...it was just like when they were kids and he'd snuck sweets back to their room. He didn't realize he was flushing until Genji decided to point it out.

"Shut up! You are terrible!" he hissed, glaring at him. "He does not like me. He is only being nice because you punched him."

" No he's not like that. If he didn't like you, you'd know..." Genji laughed, " You do like him! That's great!" 

"I highly doubt that. You have influenced his opinion enough," Hanzo scoffed as Genji laughed right at him.

He leaned forward to grin at him, " You should go after him."

Hanzo grit his teeth. "I will not. I don't need to risk being close to anyone else or hurting anyone again."

Genji made a face after that, " Well I mean, I guess it is a little soon..." He rubbed his neck. " I doubt you'd hurt him. Jesse is a pretty good shot." He tried to tease, but soon the words left him. " ...Why didn't you go with him?" Genji tilted his head.

"I thought you wanted me here," Hanzo murmured, though he had a feeling Genji meant another time long ago. "It wasn't my place."

" Heh, you expressed some distaste for being in my way." Genji pointed out. " Unless you just missed me that much." His joke fell flat, giving away how much he had missed Hanzo. He was afraid to get too clingy or close too fast, so instead of leaning on Hanzo like they would when they were younger, he leaned further back against the tree and sighed. He uncrossed his legs and let his elbows rest on his thighs.

Hanzo paused before sighing softly. "Every day," he murmured quietly, so softly it could barely be heard. "In different ways, but always." He paused and glanced over at Genji. "I do not wish to burden you with my presence or invoke memories of that day."

" ...You don't." Genji nodded, " You aren't a burden, and you're not reminding me of then..." He sheepishly moved closer to his brother, then went ahead and rested his head on his shoulder. "We've changed so much, it's just hard to make everyone else see all the good I remember if we aren't the same people anymore..."

Hanzo tensed at the old, familiar action, but he didn't move away. "You are not the Genji I remember," he murmured, though not in a harsh or accusing way. He was simply agreeing with Genji, "we have changed. Perhaps I am good no longer. I don't truly know where I belong."

"I wouldn't say that..." Genji smiled softly. "You're more serious now...but I think you're still the way I remember. We've both grown up...one could say it's about time for me...I was...quite annoying. I'm sure." He glanced up at Hanzo again, "You'll fit in here. You're already starting to."

 "I suppose... you keep saying that, but time will only tell. Our Uncle would still like to assassinate me for good. I have yet to see his agents here." He paused, "I wonder if your friends would help if they came."

"I'm sure I would be next if he knew I was alive." Genji agreed. "You have Hana and Jesse for sure, and trust me when I say Hana is no pushover. You think she's good with a gamepad? Wait until you see her in a mech." He smiled brightly and sat up, "With us included that's four of us against whatever lackies Uncle can throw at us. If you have defeated multiple on your own, think about what would happen with all of us." He pat Hanzo's shoulder. "I am glad you came with me, and I am glad you're trying to find a place here. If you need help just say so, everyone will see soon enough. You can back me on a mission to show Commander Morrison what you can do, that will impress him for sure at least."

Hanzo took a deep breath and shook his head. "I have no place left, but I have what remains of my honor. At least there are some who would give me a chance to reclaim the rest," he murmured before closing his eyes. What had happened in the past was never going to change, and Hanzo still felt the weight of his father's final wishes on his shoulders. "There will be days where this is easier than others. And days where it is much much harder..."

" We can tackle these problems together, anija..." Genji sighed softly, taking his brother's hand gently. " I will support you..." 


	6. The King and his Dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JUST A WARNING, THIS IS DRAGONHARDT SMUT, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER

As the days go by, Genji could see Hanzo relaxing more and more. He was actually caught smiling once or twice, ~~wearing the clothes he bought him~~ , hanging out with Hana and Jesse in public, and he also seemed to be getting along well with Winston and Angela...and he and Jesse were actually together more often than not now that he thought about it. He was leaning on a railing of a catwalk-style hall, it was hanging over the main hub of the Overwatch base. He snickered to himself then turned so his back and elbows were leaning against the rail instead of his chest. 

" We should double date." Genji smirked as he watched everyone bustle about beneath them. " Hanzo really likes Jesse..."

Reinhardt was surprised to hear the suggestion, shifting a bit from his spot beside Genji. "Do you think Jesse really likes him?" He asked with a hearty laugh, "They didn't have the best start. Ha! Love is unpredictable as always!" he chimed with a laugh. He nodded after a moment. "As long as your brother and Jesse agree."

" He seems to, he also seems like a kicked puppy when Hanzo tells him good bye." Genji grinned, " I'm just waiting for Jesse to ask him now. Hanzo won't he's too proud....then again, I can see my brother kissing Jesse when the tension gets too thick." He ran a hand through his hair. " Where would we go? I'm sure there's a restaurant or something in town...I haven't checked."

Another soft laugh, "I like to think your brother acts like he has swallowed a lemon! It makes it easier to imagine how he'd act," he teased with a smile. "I think there is a spanish tapas restaurant closer to the civilian area of the island."

" That sounds about right," Genji smirked back, he rubbed his chin then nodded, " I don't know if I've been there before. Have you?" He didn't want to admit he didn't know what that meant either. " Are you going with Ana to cover Jack?" He murmured. "I heard they think Gabriel is going after Lucheng Interstellar in Lijiang..." 

He nodded slowly. "Ana suspects Jack will run off. He's changed too, little dragon. Losing Gabe was hard."

"I want to come too, or maybe you should take Jesse..." He frowned. "He's dangerous now...not that he wasn't formidable before, but if Talon can make an Overwatch agent kill her own husband....what could they make Gabriel believe?" Genji frowned. "I don't want it to just be you three...who will watch your back while you're watching theirs?" He sidled up a little closer to him then huffed. "I'll stow away if I have to, I've ridden on the outside of a helicopter before."

Reinhardt chuckled nervously. "Genji, you will need to talk to Jack. I would like you there, but I think he worries about what might happen if all of the old team came." He paused and chuckled softly, cupping Genji's face. "I'd feel safer with you around but I'm not convinced Jack won't run off without us." Oh how Genji loved Reinhardt's hands....he felt so small in them, but protected and loved. He smiled softly and let his own hands find his lover's.

"I will speak with him...Ana may help. That way there are two in the fray and two covering at all times...and with some of my new armor Gabriel wouldn't recognize me, I think if I hung back I would be alright." He stood on his tip toes and still only managed to reach Reinhardt's chin.

Reinhardt smiled softly. "Well, I would prefer that myself. I always feel safest when you are watching my back little dragon..." He smiled, then blinked when he realized what Genji was trying to do. However, with a huff Genji suddenly jumped on him and grinned, putting his arms around his neck, his legs around his waist. Reinhardt was quick to catch him and support him from his rump with his arms.

"I love you...and if I can convince them I will be at your side..." He touched noses before kissing him deeply and letting his eyes fall closed. Reinhardt wasn't given a chance to reply...they were kissing and he was not going to break away for the sake of a few words-

 

"GENJI!" Hanzo's voice shattered the silence in the suspended hall, and Hanzo looked horrified at having caught his brother in this position.

Jesse was cackling. He didn't even try to hide how funny this was to him and he had to wipe his eyes. "Caught red faced!"

And poor Genji was beet red and hiding his face in his hands and Reinhardt's shoulder. Hanzo was just as red as his brother, and he didn't understand what Jesse found so funny, or why Reinhardt only looked sheepish and not utterly ashamed at touching his brother like that. Genji wiggled out of Reinhardt's arms to stand and coughed to try and clear his throat and compose himself. "I didn't expect you to ah...walk in on that..."

"You are in the middle of a hallway." Jesse wheezed. 

"I suppose we were, heheh..." Reinhardt rubbed his neck and huffed, looking more like a guilty dog than anything else. 

Hanzo only huffed and quickly turned to walk away. "Private acts are for the bedroom!" he shouted as he quickly left, too embarrassed to say more than that.

Jesse blinked then sniggered again. "Ha! Heh he- Hanzo wait!" He trotted after him, still catching his breath.

"....Do we want to take it to the bedroom?" Genji glanced up at Reinhardt, still red.

Reinhardt smiled nervously, "That didn't kill the mood for you?" he asked, his voice hopeful that it, in fact, didn't kill Genji's mood. He didn't even want to think what it would be like if any of his family had walked in on him. Thankfully it wasn't ever going to be a problem.

Genji smirked, " It takes more than my brother to kill the mood, just makes it a little embarrassing is all." 

"Either way we should probably go... heh, I hope that double date idea is still a possibility."

" Heh, it will be, Hanzo will just remember this for weeks." He rubbed his neck.

Reinhardt chuckled nervously before nodding. He quickly placed an arm around Genji to lead him back to the bedroom. "I don't doubt it. He seemed upset enough to commit this to memory... as long as he doesn't obsess over it." He paused and chuckled, "Maybe Jesse will keep him distracted."

" Now you're killing the mood." Genji pointed out. " He'll get over it...hopefully, maybe Jesse can get him to forget about it faster..." He let Reinhardt open the door for him then slipped inside. " Your turn, love." He teased. " How would you like to start?" 

"I'd like to pick up where we'd left off..." he murmured, bending down to cup Genji's face in one hand and kiss him softly. He shut the door with his foot. "If that's okay with my prince..."

He hummed and sighed as he kissed him back, only speaking once Reinhardt stepped away,  " It is more than acceptable....my king." His eyes flashed as he glanced back up at Reinhardt. Roleplaying was something Genji had been a little hesitant about at first. Reinhardt had to help him through little embarrassing moments and silly mistakes Genji would make when English failed him. Now he could keep up with Reinhardt, and it led to some fun stories around their sex life. Sometimes Reinhardt would be a knight, and Genji would be the mysterious foreign warrior, or like tonight apparently, he would have been a dragon prince and Reinhardt his king. Reinhardt smiled at the little nickname, knowing where the game was going from here. He never thought he'd be one to enjoy this, but he found once he started, he was hooked to the stories. It was like his fairytales, but better.

" Good...I wouldn't want to offend the mighty dragon now," He teased, kissing Genji's cheek and pulling him close. 

" I appreciate any affection you wish give me your highness....but must it be a small display?" Genji's eyes flashed at that, and a smirk crossed his face. " I was thinking of something _bigger_. " He fell into place against Reinhardt easily, standing on his toes to let his lips play on Reinhardt's neck. " May I, your majesty?"

"Something bigger? Why, I cannot give more than my whole Kingdom as a reward," he declared before smiling and breaking character a bit as Genji stood on his tip toes. "Oh, I see, little one. Yes, you may show your appreciation as well." As Genji nipped at him, he inhaled sharply and shuddered a sigh, scooping the younger man up and smirking as Genji continued. " Will this better assist you? I expect full compensation for the effort." He chuckled, sighing happily as nips turned to kisses. 

Genji beamed and nodded. "Of course my king." He lifted Reinhardt's chin and kissed him again, twirling locks of hair around his finger. He sighed into this kiss, pushing deeper. When that kiss ended, Genji nuzzled against his neck, "Can we move to something more intimate?" He ran his hands back over his chest.

"An intimate reward, my little dragon?" he murmured before boosting Genji a little higher in his arms. "Shall I show you around the intimate spaces in my chambers?"

Genji purred a soft groan. "My lion...mighty and strong..." He applied pressure with his finger tips and ran his hands down his chest again. If he had fingernails he would have left marks. " I would like that very much."

Reinhardt beamed and carried Genji the few short feet to his bed. "But, my fair prince, where shall we begin?" he asked, running his hands up the back of Genji's shirt. "Up here? Or further down?"

Genji laughed and wiggled out of his shirt. " In order would be a good way to start..." He helped Reinhardt out of his shirt and couldn't help but run his hands over his pectorals again. " My body is yours, your highness...to do with as you please...or, if you'd rather, I can pleasure you." He sat up on his elbows, his eyes catching the low light from the windows just right to make them glow with mischief.

Reinhardt quickly tossed their shirts aside before Genji spoke again, never breaking character. He really had gotten good at this- almost too good. Reinhardt chuckled and groaned softly before holding one of Genji's hands against his chest. "A good King would never allow one of his subjects to put him in such a vulnerable position..." he murmured with a soft smile, his eyes bright and curious right back, "What would the servants say if some kind of blackmail had been passed around? I would be ruined... how loyal are you, dragon?"

" Fair enough," He breathed, watching Reinhardt and feeling his heart race. He sat up a little more to lean towards him. " My life for yours, your majesty..." Genji's hands tangled in Reinhardt's beard before running to his cheeks and bringing him close for a kiss. " Then ravage me." Reinhardt felt his heart skip a little beat at Genji's hands in his beard, the look in his eyes, and the way he whispered those words. Genji was definitely going to give him a heart attack one day, he was sure of it.

"I can do that," he murmured in a low, gravely voice that perhaps gave away a little too much of his attraction. He managed to keep some form of character while he worked Genji relaxed and open with his fingers...that is, until he had actually pushed inside and had his face buried in Genji's neck. He gently bit down on his shoulder before kissing his way back to his lips. His brow was slick with sweat. "I love you Genji," he whispered, beaming down at the man below him, "So much..." A happy sigh left Genji and he shuddered as Reinhardt spoiled him. He would have to tie him up some time this week and do the same...

 Reinhardt..." He panted back, " I love you too..." He held the larger man close, shaking from the over stimulus that his sensors just couldn't keep up with, but he didn't care. He wanted this. His hands were now in his hair as he moved with him, closing his eyes and letting his voice go in soft hums and shuddering sighs. His breath hitched when Reinhardt completely sheathed inside him and pressed against his prostate, _My lion, my love, my king..._ Genji whispered in Japanese, unable to voice much more than that. His toes curled and then relaxed with each movement. "Reinhardt..." The other could only smile and return each murmur and groan with a squeeze, a nip, or a kiss. His English wasn't the strongest when he was with Genji like this, especially when Genji was speaking Japanese. He beamed and kissed him deeply as he pressed deeper inside, murmuring in German as he drifted away- about how much he loved him, how much he needed him, and how he never wanted this to end.

"I'm close, my sparrow," he murmured, kissing Genji's neck, his hips rocked a smooth steady rhythm. Neither liked to rush love making, and Genji could last as long as Reinhardt could. That had been impressive to say the least when they started being sexually active. Genji nodded, tilting his head for Reinhardt to have better access to his neck. He felt him strong and solid above him, and his weight upon him made his brain imagine what his body would feel like...he wondered if he actually felt as thick as he imagined he did between his knees. He had phantom sensation all the time, but he prayed for the day he could actually feel Reinhardt's hips against his legs, or the feather light touches he saw him give but couldn't feel..he supposed he was being greedy.

" Me too..." He breathed back. " just let go..." Reinhardt smiled, kissed Genji's cheek, and came with a groan into his shoulder. He thrust a few more times to try and bring Genji over the edge. He wanted to give him all the same sensations that he would have given him in his real body. Genji came with an arch and a cry, but nothing fluid left him as usual. Steam sizzled out from the vents on his shoulders, but beyond that he trembled and panted beneath Reinhardt. He soon was on his back and pulling Genji over his chest.

"Hello little sparrow," he greeted with a soft smirk and a chuckle, "I hope that was a reward worthy of you..." Genji beamed and chuckled softly. 

" Greetings my lion..." He crossed his arms and lay his chin on them. " More than enough, your highness I'm humbled by your generosity." He teased, leaning forward to kiss him softly. He closed his eyes and panted through his nose, feeling his legs go like noodles as his sensors overloaded. 

"As I am humbled by your skill. Truly, you are the best ninja in the land," he declared with a smile and he gave Genji a squeeze. "Stay with me, little sparrow. Never leave my side..." he whispered now, his voice low, "I could live the rest of my life in peace with you by my side."

Genji paused then broke character. "The same can be said for me, Reinhardt...I will always be here, and I never have to worry about what lies ahead with you leading the way." he wiggled up a little closer so his nose could touch Reinhardt's. "Aishteru yo, watashi no raion..."

He kissed his head and sighed. "I may not be a King, but I will give you everything I have to lead you true. I am your shield," he murmured, almost in a whisper as he watched Genji smirk and roll over to snuggle into his side as the sun dipped down past the sea. They could get dinner later...or eat a bigger breakfast, he didn't care...

 


	7. Zen of a Different Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS MCHANZO SMUT SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE READING IT

Jesse meanwhile caught up to Hanzo. "Did you catch the looks on their faces?!!" He whistled. "Damn! Like a couple a deer in the headlights!" He sighed, "Hope that didn't scar ya too much."

Hanzo was still flushed and he huffed at Jesse's words. "I'm so glad you found the defiling of my brother so amusing," he muttered with a frown, "I, however, did not." He huffed and shook his head, "As they should be. In public of all places..."

" PFFFF! Genji? Defiled? He's been defiled far worse than that before, trust me I've heard stories." He sighed, " Sorry, sorry, I'll drop it." He sighed, " It was...a _little_ funny. Reinhardt never gets flustered about anything, he's the king of over sharing..."

Hanzo's face went even redder about that. "I don't want to hear it, cowman," Hanzo spat out angrily, glaring in Jesse's direction before huffing and turning away. "I don't care. I don't want to think about whatever he and Genji are doing right now," he muttered, a shiver of disgust rolling up his spine. "That's my little brother."

" Right, sorry," Jesse sighed and rubbed his neck, " It was just meant to be a joke." He tailed Hanzo like a kicked puppy for a minute then brightened, " Hey have you been down to the beach yet? Or in town?"

Hanzo was silent after that, unsure why Jesse still insisted on following him when he finally spoke again. "Hm?... No, I have not. You should know, you've been with me nearly every waking moment," he mused, glancing back at Jesse. "Why?"

" Come with me." Jesse grinned, slipping to an elevator. It went straight down through the mountain and let them out at a deck area and then down into the sand. Jesse strolled out onto the deck and took a deep breath. " Now, I'm from New Mexico, I didn't see the ocean much...but this has always been my favorite spot here. When I joined up, I spent a lot of time in training, but my first watch point detail was here." He kicked off his boots, slipped out of his socks then tossed his Serape on top of them. He then rolled up his jeans to walk across the sand toward the water.

"I haven't been to a beach in a long time..." he mused with a sigh before following Jesse. He left his shoes by the elevator and followed slowly. "Hm.. you could see the sun set from here..." he mused, looking over the water. "With this view you must have slacked off, cowman..."

" I did...a lot." Jesse chuckled, standing knee deep in the water, hands in his pockets. " My CO was alright with it though as long as I slacked at the end of the day...He knew I needed a break. I'd come down here to fish, I didn't even have to catch anything it just felt nice to be by myself for a bit." He turned and tilted his hat back to beam at Hanzo. " It's _my_ special zen place." He grinned. " You can swim right?" He was already unbuttoning his shirt and trotting back up on the sand to set the shirt and hat aside. His pants would be next, but he waited for Hanzo to confirm if he could swim.

"I can swim..." he murmured. He'd had to learn early on. He flushed slightly when he realized Jesse was undressing right in front of him. This wasn't like a public bath- what if they were caught here? "Is the nudity really necessary?" he murmured, unmoving himself. He wasn't sure if he wanted Jesse to see him naked. Not when he'd fought for so long to hide from him back during their little game as teens.

"I'm not gettin naked!" He laughed.

"Your clothes are all coming off!"

"Is it weird for you to swim in boxers?" He teased, standing in his underwear. He threw his jeans back with the rest of his clothes then flopped into a wave with as much grace as a newborn calf. His head popped up in the next one, "It's actually not baaad~" He tried to entice him. Hanzo still huffed in embarrassment before watching him. It wasn't perfect- he wasn't perfect- but he was so charming that Hanzo's heart skipped a little beat.

Just like back then.

He sighed and moved to Jesse's clothes, quietly stripping his own off. He walked to the water in his underwear before calmly walking into a wave and diving in. His hair almost immediately slipped from his hairtie and fell around his face. Jesse blinked and gulped, Hanzo was so different from him...He was regal and poised and everything Jesse had heard he would be and it struck a cord with him. He never learned that kid's name way back when, but...he was never more sure he'd found him again. The scars on Hanzo's back were in the open now, but that wasn't what Jesse was focused on.

Hanzo was in amazing shape. And it was making him a little self conscious.

" Look at you, like a regular merman." He teased.

Hanzo could feel Jesse's eyes on him the entire walk to the water, and even once he emerged. He huffed a bit as Jesse swam closer, raising a brow. "Mermen aren't real," he muttered before brushing some of his own wet hair out of his eyes. "You clearly love the sea more than I do. You're the merman."

" SHEWT darling I'm from the desert, of course water is going to astound me." He laughed, " I actually am an awful swimmer what with a metal arm, but as long as I can touch I'm good." He stood to prove his point. " You just dove in like you owned the place I assumed you were a sea dragon merman." He teased. Hanzo rolled his eyes with a small smile. Another wave washed over their shoulders.

"I lived near the sea. We would escape our home to swim on occasion." He also needed to learn to survive his punishments on occasion. "I am not. Perhaps a dragon, but not a merman," he teased softly, glancing away from Jesse.

" Heh, do you have purdy blue scales too?" He swam a little closer, testing how close or handsy he could get. " I would imagine a fancy Japanese sea dragon would have them anyway...unless you're more prone to flying, in which case maybe white....or light blue." He laughed and brushed some of Hanzo's hair from his eyes. " It's nice to see you smile more..." Hanzo didn't move, as though he himself were testing his own limits of how much he could put up with Jesse and his antics. It was gentle, just a touch to his hair, but Hanzo had to force himself not to flinch away. He'd had encounters with people on the run, of course, but never anything so slow or gentle as this.

"I am smiling no more than usual," he insisted with a soft huff, though his eyes never left Jesse, practically challenging him to take his next move. "You also don't know much about dragons then, clearly," he muttered before raising a brow. "Why white or blue?" he muttered.

" Now why you gotta lie like that, hun?" He teased, now drifting just a bit closer, within inches of him...he was so close to kissing him. " Heh, white is the color of the clouds...and the sea foam...and blue is the water and the sky. Genji's obviously green, everything he wears is green it gives it away." He laughed, " Is it true though..." He tilted Hanzo's chin to face him, " When you make friends with a dragon...do they always remember you?" Hanzo huffed, but he didn't move, his feet firmly planted on the sand beneath him as Jesse drew closer and closer to him. He only flinched when Jesse touched his chin, but his eyes did not hold any fear. Simply a hesitation. Jesse's words caught him off-guard, however, and Hanzo was silent for a moment, feeling his short breaths brushing over Jesse's face and coming back to him.

"Well... that depends on how long the friend remembers," Hanzo murmured, wondering if the cowman finally figured it out. It hadn't taken Hanzo long, but Jesse had never been shy in those days to share who he was. It had only taken a few nights to recall why the name McCree was familiar. He never gave Jesse that pleasure, however.

" How about twenty years?"

"If you have something to say, cowman, I suggest you say it now."

He smiled softly, " I wasn't sure at first...not until recently, but you were the kid I met so long ago...weren't you? You never gave me your name." Jesse scoffed, "Is it too late to ask for another kiss?" Hanzo was silent once again, almost as if he wasn't going to give Jesse the satisfaction of an answer. However, he sighed softly.

"I was, once," he murmured, "I am not that foolish child any longer. Things have changed. We have changed," he stated simply, wanting to give in but not for the sake of nostalgia. "It is too late to ask for that boy," he murmured, though he didn't shift away, "It... it's  not too late to ask for me."

"Then can I kiss you, Hanzo? " Jesse smirked and let his hand move from his chin to his cheek. "It's alright darlin...I'm not that little hooligan anymore either..."

Hanzo huffed softly, though his gaze didn't leave Jesse. He was trying to think of reasons to resist, but his will to do so was at an end. "You may," he murmured before their lips touched in a surprisingly chaste kiss. Even the ocean seemed to calm down, the waves coming in steady and smooth now. When they parted, Hanzo paused. "All those years waiting for that?" he murmured, though he couldn't hide a little half smirk, "You can do better, cowman."

Jesse laughed at that, "N'here I thought you said you weren't that boy anymore..." He sighed.

"I'm not," Hanzo insisted, "That doesn't mean I've forgotten the feeling of anticipation." He rolled his eyes

"Jus...Didn't want to rot yer sweet tooth just yet, but if you insist I'll give ya more sugar." This time he tilted his head slightly and when he connected with Hanzo he kissed him deeper, tangling his tongue with his and letting his hands slide down his neck, shoulders, and ribcage to his waist...where he pulled him just a bit closer. Their chests were touching now, and Jesse pushed for a little more every time they separated for air and came back. "I missed you darlin..." he murmured between them. "Never thought I'd see ya again..."

Hanzo soon reciprocated. One arm looped around his neck, the other settled on Jesse's ribs. It was still over far too quickly... "That was the point," Hanzo murmured, "I couldn't have my father discover you, and you seemed foolish enough to follow even if you were told not to. It was the wisest strategy to deal with you then..."

"Shhh," Jesse laughed, "I'm tryin to be romantic and you are jus not havin it!" He kissed his forehead this time. "No more talkin, sweetheart just kiss me."

"That, I can handle..." Hanzo murmured with a soft smile, so small it could be missed. Jesse decided to be bold, taking his hands lower to his hips and taking a step forward to press his body closer. His kisses were deeper, slower and now with a bit more movement... he just wanted to feel the other in front of him, and he wanted to believe this wasn't a dream. Jesse by now was sure he would wake up at any moment. Hanzo didn't protest as Jesse pulled him closer, and after a few more minutes of slow kisses being rocked by waves, Hanzo began to roll his hips against Jesse in time with the movement of the water. It was slow at first, but he deepened the kiss and shifted even closer. He hoped to communicate without words what he wanted.

Shit....sex on the beach sounded reeeeeal good. Jesse didn't break contact as he drifted back to the shore, he whipped out his serape and lay it out like a towel.

" Warn me now if I was gettin mixed signals," he smirked, kissing him again as he guided Hanzo down on it. He let his hands wander from Hanzo's shoulders across his chest and down to his hips to play his fingers on his waistband.

"Trust me, cowman, if I didn't want this, your fingers would already be broken." Smug bastard. He was now running his own hands over Jesse's ribs and around to his back. He was grateful he was on his back now- he didn't want Jesse looking at or feeling his scars. "So I would like to see what you had in mind..."

He grinned, "Good to know, I'll keep askin permission." He smirked and kissed his neck and his jaw. " I'll show you..." he snuck his hands into Hanzo's underwear and gave a squeeze to his butt, then slid his hands down to help him remove it. He kissed his collar and the other side of his neck and then nuzzled into his shoulder. His own underwear were soon wiggled out of and he lay over him.

"Good," Hanzo muttered in response before all of his attention was soon on Jesse's hands pushing his underwear down, and then how strangely satisfying it was to have Jesse's hips pressed to his. He sighed softly in pleasure, reaching up to trace Jesse's beard with one finger. He hadn't taken Jesse for the affectionate type, but the nuzzles and the kisses seemed to indicate a softer side to the rough and tumble western cowboy...he felt heat coil in the pit of his stomach over it too. Hanzo didn't feel the need to speak. Words would only ruin this moment, this feeling building in the pit of his stomach. He knew if Genji saw him now though, the teasing would never end. Sex with a cowboy on the beach on his western-style cape. It was just about as cliché and right out of a manga as he could imagine, but here he was. It was definitely what he imagined it would be when Jesse McCree first approached- a stereotype straight out of one of his manga.

Jesse craved this kind of attention. He always had. He wanted someone to tell him he was doing a good job, or that he was loved and wanted and needed...but Hanzo's body was telling him everything he needed to know. Hot breath hit Hanzo's neck as Jesse felt the tide come in, washing up over his toes. Soon it would be at their thighs...That was a fun thing to think about. He rolled his hips on Hanzo's, wanting to keep this as close and sensual as possible, after so many years of dreaming about what his samurai crush had turned into he had him. He wouldn't give him up now because he moved too fast. " Ready, sugar?" He ran two fingers down the curves of his butt and pressed against him. " Or do you want me to ride?"

"No... like this for now, cowman..." He huffed and braced himself for the pain. Jesse was so gentle though, he didn't push right in he tried to help Hanzo relax. The water rose over their ankles now. Jesse stretched him until Hanzo could take his fingers and relax, then he was next. He didn't rush it, no matter how badly he just wanted to shove in and go, he let Hanzo tense and relax around him, but he knew he found what he was looking for when the man beneath him stopped tensing like he was going to get hurt. Jesse didn't speak after that, he focused more on making Hanzo feel him. If he was still unsure what love felt like then he didn't show it he rolled his hips slow and gradually sped up when ordered to, not before.

This was not how Hanzo imagined sex with Jesse McCree would go. He expected rough and hard and fast, not a careful and slow sweetness with precision worthy of a sharp shooter. He sighed and breathed with every roll of Jesse's hips, getting used to the feel of him inside and pushing further and further before Hanzo couldn't take the dizzy sweetness anymore. "Ngh, faster, damn it..." Hanzo muttered, cursing in Japanese. He obliged, the water creeping up their knees now. Jesse was soon whispering in his ear, telling him how nice it was to be inside him. He kissed his lips and neck and chest as he thrust a little harder and a bit faster. His lover only gave small purrs of satisfaction until Jesse rocked against his g-spot. Hanzo's face twisted in pleasure as he let out a long moan, his toes curling and his back arching as he clawed at Jesse's back. He was soon rolling his hips, and he never managed to school his face back to it's usual expression...

By the time the water washed over their hips, Jesse was close. He kissed Hanzo again then growled and gripped the serape tightly. " How ya doin' darlin?" he panted, " Close..." His toes curled and he nipped at his shoulder and chest. " Hanzo..." He practically purred his name.

"Fine... ngh, fine, just don't stop..." he breathed out, digging his fingers into Jesse's back as he tensed around him. "I'm there-" he started, before he arched into Jesse, hiding his face in his shoulder as he came, trying to muffle the embarrassing cry of the other's name. When Jesse followed suit he didn't bother to cover or hide his own cry. He grinned into Hanzo's neck then slid from him.

" Y'alright?" He kissed his head then his lips and slowly sat up, grinning. He offered his hand, " Before the rest of the tide comes in we should move to the deck." He smirked, " I can carry ya too if you can't walk."

"I'm fine. I can walk on my own," he murmured in response to Jesse's concern, though his legs did seem a little shaky as they moved. Still, he followed Jesse back to their clothes to quickly dress. He was silent for a long moment before he sighed. "Thank you, Jesse... that was very enjoyable..."

Jesse smirked as his pants were on and turned to catch Hanzo in a kiss again. He couldn't stop smiling through it though and with a tight squeeze he replied, " Any time darlin~ Does this mean you'll sleep with me now?" he teased, " Gettin mighty jealous of Genji and Reinhardt." He laughed, wanting to keep kissing Hanzo, but he needed to get dressed. He stole another before moving to his clothes.

Hanzo was forced to pause at the bold question. Would he let Jesse share his bed? That was such an intimate act, but he didn't think it was possible that they could...And yet he'd definitely seen another side of Genji that suggested they could. "I might consider it... if you don't make a habit out of all this public affection..."

Jesse smirked and nodded. "Just crawl in any time." He teased, dressing and leading the way back.

 

That night he was piddling around on his phone before bed when the door opened. He tried as hard as he could to keep the hope out of his gaze but he couldn't help it. Hanzo stood in the doorway then huffed as he softly closed the door behind himself.

"You are the man who will finally drive me insane," Hanzo muttered as he walked to the other side of the bed and began to undress. He left his underwear on, however. "This does not mean I will make a habit of this..."

He grinned. "You don't have to..." He folded back the blanket for him. "Just glad you stopped by~" He watched Hanzo crawl in beside him then slip under the blankets with him. He let Hanzo decide how close he wanted to be and then he rested his head against the pillow. "You didn't have a nightmare did you?"

Hanzo sighed softly, placing his head on Jesse's shoulder and draping a lazy arm around his middle before closing his eyes. Jesse wasn't behind them now that he was holding him. "No... I have only had nightmares about my brother," he murmured softly, "I simply could not stop seeing your smile every time I closed my eyes." His cheeks burned a bit at that. "Clearly this is your fault..."

Jesse was quick to hold him back. "I take full responsibility hun." He laughed and nuzzled into his hair. It was so soft...like black silk. He had taken off his prosthetic arm and cleaned it. Now it was on the desk across from the bed. He was used to people being surprised it was actually fake but he was too tired to do much explaining. Hanzo however didn't ask, he just nuzzled closer and shut his eyes tightly, as if to silently tell Jesse to shut up and go to sleep. "....This might be real fast...but this feels right." Jesse admitted sheepishly. "Heh...sorry. I'll go to sleep now." he kissed his forehead and yawned again before closing his eyes and snuggling into the blankets. 


	8. Conditioned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabe's turn. 
> 
> BTW lot's of headcanons in this one, and when Sombra comes out I am probably going to be heartbroken. XD
> 
> Also Roadrat cameo XD

"Glad to see our problems solved themselves..."

"I suppose they did....and you promised me dinner, Reyes." 

"I did, Morrison. I am a gentleman of my word." Gabriel sniggered as if making a joke. He leaned on his hand then paused a moment. Now that the courting had begun, he saw so much in that brat that he liked. Jack was witty, sarcastic, a wee bit sheltered, but that had been expected of a country kid from Indiana. His eyes were always so bright and he was almost infuriatingly chipper. He had cornsilk gold hair and was whiter than bread, but...so charming. Gabriel shook himself out of staring. "So...anything I should know right off the bat besides that you're a good little country boy from Indiana?" He had a twisted grin somewhere between teasing and genuine curiosity.

"Who said I was good?" _See? Sarcastic and charming._  "I'm a farm boy serving my country and the world. That's the most of it, really. Riding horses and growing crops was about all I knew until now." 

Gabriel smirked, "I grew up in LA, I have a two year old daughter, and nothing pisses me off more than shitty Mexican food chains." He grinned. "I've never even been around a horse." He admitted with a shake of his head. "My dad worked in a stable for a while though...when I was really little." 

"You have a daughter?" That was the bit that Jack seemed to latch onto, and his eyes lit up a bit. _Oh no he's so cute..._ "I used to babysit cousins and nieces and nephews all the time. Is she..." he paused, it seeming to click that if he had a daughter, there must also be a mother too. "She's with her mom?" He smirked a bit, shaking his head, "Of course you grew up in LA. Well... I won't impress you with Mexican, but I can cook some mean country fixins for ya."

"You did not seriously say fixins." Gabriel cackled. "Yea...yea she is. I'm in the military and the court said that it wasn't a stable environment for her, so until she's sixteen she's with her mom..." He sighed, "Mariana Louisa Reyes." He showed off a picture out of his wallet. "She turns three this week...Her mother couldn't handle my lifestyle, she didn't want to keep moving around...enough about my sad story." He snickered.

"What's wrong with fixins?" he demanded before Gabriel brought out a photo of his daughter, and all he could do was smile. "Aw, what a cutie. I can see you in her," he said with a shake of his head, reluctantly handing the photo back. "Well, I could hear about her all day, but sure... how about we talk about when yer takin' me out?" he teased with a smirk, "Tonight? Or are you going to make me wait?" 

"Well I did say Saturday, but if you want to go out tonight I can arrange that." He grinned back, biting into his sandwich. "Good to know you like kids though. You're what...twenty? Twenty two? You probably don't have any yet." He suddenly wondered if he (at 24) just asked an eighteen year old out...

"Well... maybe I don't want to wait that long," Jack teased before he paused, his smile fading a bit. "Uh... nineteen, actually." _shit_. "Are we going to have a new problem now?"  _Are we?_

"Nah...I'm twenty four. As long as you're okay with that..." He watched Jack for a sign of disapproval then smirked. "You really are a little boyscout then, just eagled out too!" He cackled.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jack asked, smirking a bit more as he tilted his head. He blinked at the boy scout comment, shaking his head. "Because of my age, or because I'm willing to date an old fart like you?" he teased with a smirk.  _Very funny cabron._

Gabriel scoffed and pushed his whole face back with his hand. "Try to keep up in PT today." he grinned. "We're running and climbing today so don't eat a whole lot you'll throw up." He grinned, "Perks of dating the SO."

Jack rolled his eyes and nodded, pushing his food aside. "Fine fine," he muttered before he smiled more. "So... that's it? We're dating now?" he asked, his eyes bright and excited for the answer. He looked like he'd be ready to run laps right there if the answer was yes.

"Well I'm taking you out tonight and Saturday...so yes?" He smirked, sarcasm dripping from his words before he just leaned over and kissed his head. "You're cute kid. I have to go prepare the course...see you tonight."

 

When Gabriel opened his eyes he wasn't surprised to feel so light....half of him was threatening to fall apart and was quickly trying to rebuild itself. He was surprised he actually had a nice dream...lately it had been nothing but nightmares, that blond haired blue eyed demon plaguing him over and over. He hissed as he thought about it, groaning and floating his way to his bathroom...yea floating. That was a fun feeling, when your legs practically disintegrated on the regular. He went through his morning routine, stabilization injections (mostly a bunch of nano receptors and boosters the bots could devour), a quick brush of his teeth and a materialization of his clothing. He growled in frustration before walking straight through the door. 

He was embracing this ghost thing pretty well. 

He hated thinking about  _her_. The other little demon that did this to him. She could hide behind a pretty face and a cute accent like Jack but Gabe knew better.  _He would never forget that._ He was drifting through briefing, floating through transport and dropping into Dorado to check on Sombra...he felt more solid around her, more present and less angry. She was the only thing he truly remembered after the explosion and his failed resurrection. Had it not been for her...Reaper's anger, rage and sorrow would probably be the only thing left of Gabriel. Lately she'd been his only grounding. He made his way through the busy marketplace and up the familiar stairs to a small apartment in the back of a shop. " Mariana?"

" There you are, papa," She teased, turning around and lifting her mask. Gabriel could only smile. She still looked just like him. He gave her a quick hug then peered over her shoulder. " How's decoding coming?" 

" 67.1946%." She huffed, "I need that sattelite..." 

" I leave for Lijiang next week." 

" Perfecto." She crossed her arms, " Still having nightmares...?" 

" Not as often." he pulled up a chair to sit beside her with a huff. " The more I run into Morrison the more often I have them...like something is trying to keep me from him." 

" Maybe that's a good thing." she offered.

" Come again?" He tilted his head and stared at her, she wouldn't see his face, but she would know the look he was giving her.

" Maybe you should do the opposite."  She replied and shrugged, " Run towards him. Where will he be next?"   
  
" Hmm," That made him pause and think. Where did Jack think he was? Or where did Jack think he was going? " London, maybe..."   
  
" Then go," she beamed, " Leave him a clue about Lijiang and see what happens...you still have the other dreams too right? I don't think you're done with him." 

" Mariana-" 

" You were so happy then, why can't you be happy now?" She frowned, " Just....just try. I can handle myself. If you need a soul or two I set up a teleporter in the Cenote with a wireless booster this time so you don't appear out of nowhere." She beamed as the mask came up slightly and she felt her father's lips against her hair.   
  
" Gracias, mija." 

" Denada, papi." She watched him go with a small sigh, " Let Jack help you..." 

 

London was a disaster.

He knew it would be.

Overwatch was getting new members and two of them were subjects Talon had considered. Jamison "Junkrat" Fawkes and Mako "Roadhog" Ruteledge had just hooked the EMP and were taking off down the street with it...and then a building blew up and landed on top of it, rendering the device useless...awesome. He was just leaving the meeting point when he spotted them and a smirk crawled over his face. This could be the clue he was looking for...they were probably easily fooled enough to relay the message and think that they were foiling a plot. 

 

Jamie didn't care why they were blowing this up, only that they were. The charges were set and Jamie had made sure to draw his signature face on each one. "Heh, you know Hogie, maybe goin' legit ain't so bad! We got all the stuff we could ever want plus we're blown up one of the biggest buildings ever! Except for that suit's skyscraper, but he earned the top spot." Mako just grunted in agreement, watching out for the little guy. He huffed then readied his hook...footsteps? No, suddenly there was black mist settling in around them.

" Jamison!" The bullets flew past, but burned along his shoulder. 

"Oy, Hogie, what's with the smoke? A fuse blow?" He turned just in time to see that it wasn't smoke, but mist...

Reaper formed in it with a dark snicker, two shotguns in his hands. " I think I smell bacon...maybe a little burnt." He took a sidestep as Mako dropped his shoulder to try and tackle him. He turned back to Junkrat and scoffed. " You two are overwatch?" He smirked behind his mask, _That's it Gabe, play the part_. "Please...Morrison must be getting desperate...Hope he's not planning on sending you two to Lijiang."

"Oooh, you bet mate! We're legit, so you'd better start running," he said with a grin, holding up the detonator. "So you can see the show!" Reaper prepared to fire, but a hook wrapped around his middle and pulled him back. Mako grabbed his face and went to slam him into the ground, but Reaper shifted into mist again, curling back to fire at Roadhog.

" Fat bastard-" Reaper growled, but a large hand grabbed him again. Mako held Reaper back in a choke hold, and he couldn't ghost out of it.  _Strategical error....getting cocky again._

"What the fuck did you call him?!" the thin one shouted, throwing out a trap for Mako to shove Reaper in.

" Get to cover Jamie!" He growled, holding Reaper back as much as he could. "I'll be right behind you- OOF!" Reaper managed to kick him hard in the gut.

" No stay, I want to watch the show~ Don't you?" He cackled, tossing aside the spent guns to draw more.

"Fuck that, Hoggie, we're in this together! I'm here until you're here!" He grinned at Reaper, cackling maniacally as Hog shoved him in the trap. "Ooooh you'll be right here for the show. But we won't be! TOODLES!" Reaper found his foot stuck even when he changed, he couldn't go far from pieces of him and his foot had to stay solid, he couldn't phase out of it right now.  _WHAT IS THIS THING MADE OUT OF?!_ Mako smirked and pulled Jamie to him then started running for the Hog. Jamison waved with a grin as they swung onto the bike and he was dropped into the side car. He stuck his tongue out and flipped him off as they tore out of the way. 

" Do it." came a deep grunt and the eyeroll that accompanied the crazed giggle that followed could be felt where Gabriel was trapped.  

"My pleasure mate!" he declared, pressing the button and turning around to watch the explosion. It wasn't until after the rubble fell and the dust swept over him that he realized something. "Hey, who was that ghosty bastard anyway?"

Mako just shrugged, " We need to include that in the report."

 

Reaper slowly reformed as the dust settled, but darted away before anyone could see him leaving. Being blown apart did not feel good, and he figured as much but  _shit that hurt_. Hopefully that was all the planting that needed to be done...

 

Once at headquarters he drifted back to his room and went back through the routine, injections, clothes, teeth and then right into bed. Sleep came swiftly, but it wasn't peaceful.

 

" Commander Morrison didn't need you."

" You're wrong..."

" Overwatch didn't need you...you were an addition of pity."

" Stop it...I know him! I love him! He wouldn't-"

" Oh but Gabriel...I would." The face that appeared on screen made his heart ache, and the grin that Gabriel had loved now burned to look at. " Hello ex-commander Reyes...surprised?"

" That's not Jack, YOU ARE NOT JACK!" Gabriel stuck to that. No matter how many times he saw the same video, no matter how many times he was starved, or beaten or cast aside, he clung to the idea that this wasn't Jack...that is, until the man walked in, or he thought he had. He felt his hand lift his chin, felt those piercing blue eyes stare right through him. He felt the sucker punch that followed and stared at him, eyes struggling to focus and try to find out who this was...but it was him. It was Jack.

" You sorry sack of shit." He kicked the chair over that Gabriel was tied to. " You really think I loved you?! You really think that a guy like me is going to fall for a sorry son of a bitch like you?! Washed out commander Reyes, whose unit was WIPED OUT because of a bad call YOU made. Who ended up costing a CHILD his body because YOU couldn't keep your eyes on him. You really expect me to still love you?" Now his whole image was twisting, now there were sharp teeth and slit eyes and white horns curling back out of his head. " I hate you for what you've done. You did this! You ruined everything! You didn't have sense enough to stand up and tell High Command that this was wrong, and now look! I left you in that pit, and I let Angela take EVERYTHING from you..." A horrifying demon clawed its way out of Jack's body then raced at Gabriel, digging it's claws in and leaking black smoke everywhere until-

 

" STOP!"  Gabriel shot up out of bed, feeling lighter again and catching his face in the mirror...half of it was gone, and a skull was staring back at him...He was the one with sharp teeth, he was the one who held the demon now...the conditioning was falling apart, he knew it, but the nightmares continued. The generated nightmares to keep him from wandering off, the nightmare that would eventually settle into his sub conscious and fuel Reaper...just as soon as he'd awakened, he growled and fell back asleep, the dream now forcing him to hate again...forcing him to focus on what was done to him and what should have happened...Gabriel would be buried again, Reaper would wake up, and Mariana would have to start all over...

Just another routine ritual of the conditioned soldier. 


	9. Reunion

Lijiang...

Jack huffed as he marked it on his map, closing the program and running over the Junkers' report again. Mako was very thorough, which was refreshing....and Jamie made a punch of scribbles and called that a report...though his version of scribbles would be the best art Jack could ever do, the diagram of them blowing up reaper was satisfying at least. He took a deep breath and turned to find Ana leaning on the wall again. " You aren't sleeping again..." 

"Lijiang....though I don't know what he wants there." He fell silent after that before shaking his head. "I haven't. I will once he's dead."

" The tower...isn't that where Lucheng Interstellar is? Maybe Talon is after a satellite..." She frowned, " Then they wouldn't need to Hack Athena, they could intercept the data she's sending to activate other Watchpoints..." She acted as though she were going to ignore his last statement as she sidled up next to him. However she then flicked him hard on the temple. " Jack Morrison you stop talking like that. You tried once to save him and you didn't try very hard." She sighed. " We can intercept him again and maybe this time try to reason with him off the bat." She crossed her arms and leaned back to think. " ...After what Talon did to Amelie it wouldn't surprise me if they bottled him up and fed him lies."

Jack huffed and pushed away from the table. "That must be it. We need to set up a perimeter before they get there. Otherwise we don't have much hope of stopping- HEY!" He groaned in pain and annoyance, rubbing the side of his head. "What does that matter if he shoots us as soon as we approach?" he muttered, though he had his own ideas. "Jack Morrison is dead, Ana. Just like you were," he added as he moved past her, "If Gabe's still in there, then I'll save him, but don't count on any miracles..."

She huffed at him then followed. "He didn't kill either of us when he had the chance...isn't that proof enough? He toyed with you, then tried to talk to me, there's enough of him left to warrant that at least..."

"Not if he enjoys the hunt," Jack muttered. She crossed her arms and followed him anyway.

She then snickered and sighed, "You two made such an entertaining couple. Tried so hard to keep it a secret but I knew...Gabriel never could hide what he felt. You could always see it in his eyes or in his voice you could hear it...he sounded sly or at least, he thought he was being cunning. Almost as if he tried to leave us a clue..." She ran through what he said over and over in her mind. Maybe the events he was telling her about were the lies Talon had put there. She would have to continue thinking about how twisted they would have made everything.

 He seemed frozen for a moment before he finally scoffed. "You weren't here in the end. He changed," he muttered, always having thought Gabriel hated his guts and would want him dead by the end of it... he didn't like to think of that day in Switzerland when he was young and naïve and just wanted Gabriel to come back. "Believe what you want. I'll believe it when I see it," he muttered softly.

"I saw his face Jack...he has changed, but he still wears his emotions." She pointed out. "When do you want to leave, I am coming with you."

"I'm going ahead alone. Gather the others and bring them over to make a perimeter. One person can move faster than a group."

"Me, Reinhardt, Genji, Jesse? They know how to deal with Gabriel better than anyone else...I'll keep an eye on you from one of the neighboring buildings, Jesse can be on the ground with Reinhardt and Genji can watch over them."

Jack nodded, not replying to her words. He'd learned the pain of hoping for something too much, and Soldier 76 was just a shell. He couldn't feel Jack Morrison's pain anymore. "I'll meet you there," he grumbled out before continuing on toward the transport off of Gibraltar.

 

Jack dozed on the plane to China, but he was still tired. Still, he had work to do. He was going to confront Gabriel alone. He went straight to the tower, gun in hand, and rode the elevator to the servers to guard them. Whether the others were here or not, he was ready and waiting for Reaper to show his face.  Ana and the others arrived via auto-piloted stealth copter shortly after. Athena took care of them all the way until deposition. Genji was suited up in his stealth armor, black and blue carbon fiber would blend well with the evening city scape. Ana miraculously got Jesse in some old Blackwatch gear, and Reinhardt had a darker set of armor on.

" I'll be watching over you and Jesse," Genji nodded, "if any Talon agents try to back Reaper up, we are to eliminate them."

Jesse nodded, " Piece of cake...in and out right?"

Ana sipped the last of her tea then readied her rifle, " Should be...get into position and stay in contact."

Reinhardt beamed and nodded, shouldering his hammer. "I will go to secure the parts of the building I can. Jack will need as much help as he can get."

 

Reaper moved through the vents, not wanting to be heard or seen, but when he dropped into the server room, he knew he wasn't alone. " Oh where oh where is the little mouse?...The cat is hungry." He chuckled darkly as he ghosted through the servers, then slipped through one. Jack only huffed at that voice. It wasn't charming, it wasn't cute, it made his stomach turn. He stood still by his point and waited until Reaper spoke again. " There he is..." Reaper stood beside Jack for a moment, then spun around in front of him, " It's been a while, Jack..."

 "Jack is dead," he muttered, glaring at him, "And you're no cat." His grip tightened on his gun. "So... how's this going to end, Reyes? You haven't put a bullet in my head yet, so does that mean I get to talk before you try to mimic some grim reaper crap?"

"And I thought I was the edgy one," He snickered, "You're right, I'm more like an owl anyway...or a raven." He dropped the light tone and huffed, " We aren't here to talk about animal motifs though...you can have a few minutes."

"Fine. Why haven't you shot me in the head yet? There must still be some of Gabe left in you," he muttered, "Even with all the fighting we'd done in the end, I never thought Reyes would shoot me. You still haven't." He paused, taking a deep breath, "I want there to be hope for you Gabe. I gave up on it a long time ago after that explosion. But I want it back."

" I shot at you...I just missed," He huffed, watching him, " Or did you forget about that? Getting senile in your old age?" He sneered, but the more Jack spoke, the more venom left Reaper's posture, he wasn't as rigid. Slowly, this seemed less like an attack and more like a game, bantering back and forth like they used to... " It...you want us back..." He paused, obviously thinking of what to say, and probably not having expected this. He growled and turned away, walking among the servos, but he continued to talk. " That explosion was a set up and you know it...a ploy to get rid of me and Blackwatch once and for all...especially after we figured out what they wanted to do..."

Jack huffed. "You weren't always this dense, were you?" he tried to tease back, but his voice shook. Seeing Reaper loosen up a bit just made him look more and more like Gabe. "I know that now. Because I've been hunting the people who did it," he stated with a sigh, "At the time I went to talk to the man I loved because I didn't want to lose him. Or have you forgotten I 'died' in the explosion with you?" He huffed and shouldered his gun to try and show he was letting his guard down. "Jack loved Gabriel. He would never want any of this."

" yea....Jack loved Gabe...did Commander Morrison?" He balled his fists, " The commanders didn't get along...because someone couldn't see what High Command was doing to the other...phasing him out, killing his people and failing, turning a KID into a WEAPON under the guise of saving his life...that's not very heroic of them is it? Good luck hunting zombies, Jack, because they were the first people I offed." He growled, "They had plenty of clones to replace you...but they couldn't dig out your body so they didn't get to use them...if you were still running around then a clone wouldn't do the job...they found me though. They told Mercy to revive me, and now look at me..." He walked through a server to come up behind Jack. " I'm a ghost...worse than that, I can't live without stealing someone else's." He stuck his hand through Jack's chest, leaving a cold feeling there before he drifted away. He grit his teeth audibly at that. 

"You think I didn't figure that out, Reyes? That I've just been sitting on my ass all these years?" he grumbled out, only to let out a grunt at the hand through his chest. He huffed and lowered his gun from his shoulder, rubbing the spot on his chest. "What the hell do you want me to say, Gabe? I didn't have the power to do more than I did. I did my fucking best and I failed. And you never let me forget all those failures." He paused, glaring at Reaper behind his mask. "What would you have done, Reyes? If you were Strike Commander, you kept insisting on things to High Command, and no one took you seriously? That you felt the love of your life slipping away every damn day because you didn't have the power to protect him?" He paused and huffed. "Then you hear a rumor, and you think that doesn't sound like him at all. That's not the man I know. You'd walk blindly into that trap too with a heart full of hope."

"I would have left a bullet in somebody's head at least." He held up two fingers towards Jack, aiming between his eyes. "I wouldn't have been polite and I would have demanded not suggested or rather insisted. " The edge in his voice was failing him though. "I would have taken my people out and I would have gone on my own...let them see what happens when they don't have some of their best people, but...I didn't want to leave you...."

_heart full of hope..._

"I didn't want to leave you..." He repeated and his hand slowly lowered then all of a sudden he was clutching at his head and his body was melting. He didn't do more than growl and pant, but he wasn't in any kind of shape to fight right now. Gabriel saw flashes of the demons, flashes of his conditioning telling him he was doing the wrong thing. He had to run, he had to get away before he started shooting at Jack, but god he wanted help. "They...weren't....going to...let her finish..." He gripped the hood so hard his claws were tearing through it. "They were planting explosives the whole time I went to disarm the trigger, but then you showed up. Couldn't....get out....couldn't feel...pinned. Between you and the ceiling..." He staggered away from Jack before panting then letting the most inhuman screech leave him. It hurt to remember, in his heart and his mind it hurt and so he drew the guns again in a panic. "What's happening to me?!"

"Gabe, you need to stay with me. We need to get you out of here," he murmured before the guns were drawn and his heart stopped. Why the hell had he dropped his gun?! He'd let hope and love cloud his judgement again, even after all this time... "Gabe, let us help you..."

"No...no not yet- I can't..." Reaper was shaking, and his mask flickered and faded with his guns before evaporating into black smoke. "I can't trust myself yet- I....I don't want to....to end up like Amelie..." His eyes for a split second were wide and searching for something...

anything....

Finally his form dissipated and darted back through the vent. "Soon..." his voice hung in the air.

Jack frowned at that, reaching for him instead of the gun. "Gabe... Gabe!" But he was gone, and all Jack had was that foolish feeling again- hope. Nothing but empty hope that already felt bitter and cold in his chest. He stood slowly, picking up his gun...

 

On the outside, Ana and the others kept the rest of Reaper's back up occupied. "Jack what happened in there? Talon just moved in! I'm picking up transmissions that Reaper has been compromised..." she reloaded then aimed. "Reinhardt stand by for nano boost."

Reinhardt stood ready, his engines already roaring to life. "Now Ana! I'm ready!" he shouted before he felt the prick of her dart and the boost of strength. "Thank you!" he declared as he charged into their ranks to pin some of them to the wall and then began swinging.

"Not sure. He seemed like Gabe, but he wouldn't let me help him," he stated, "Keep fighting, I'll come down and try to provide cover fire to force their retreat."

" Understood." She smirked as Reinhardt raced in then tossed a grenade between Genji and Jesse, giving them their own boosts. " Get in there!"

_Hola, capitan Amari?~_ Her radio fritzed. _I'm sure you've heard allll about me, Reaper has been compromised, but Gabriel is out in the open now...I'll try and send you little hints as to where he is, but he should be heading to Dorado now...at least that was always our plan should he return...I hope to see you soon. Terminado conexcion._

Ana gasped, " Wait!" Her radio returned to normal and Talon agents began to complain that they were locked out of everything. " Jack, Sombra's turned against them, now is the time to pull out!"

"We can't pull out! We're going to leave the tower defenseless!" he protested before he heard the sound of choppers approaching. Whether they were police or Talon, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Alright, fine, retreat! Pull back to a safe distance and let's regroup!"

" She's locked them out of any of their tech, the tower is safe..." Ana smiled as they pulled out, leaving Talon to retreat as well.

" Wait, Sombra?" Genji blinked from behind his helm, racing to back Reinhardt in their retreat, deflecting bullets from the team and back to the Talon Agents. Once back at the chopper, Ana quickly explained to Jack what Sombra had said.

" Apparently she knows more than we do, which somehow, does not surprise me. She said that Reaper would be headed to Dorado..."

"Reinhardt, Genji, Ana... go back to base. I can handle this alone," he muttered.

"You're not pulling us off of this that easily!" Reinhardt declared, leaning forward in the chopper. "We're all connected to Gabriel Reyes, and we all deserve a chance to bring him back."

"He's like this because of me," Jack muttered, "It's my problem to fix, so just let me fix it, dammit!"

Jesse huffed, " I sure as hell ain't lettin you go alone, if I have ta stow away like I did on that train." He crossed his arms while Genji silently agreed. He couldn't really argue though, because he insisted on facing his brother alone...

Ana pat his shoulder, " You can fix it Jack, we just want to make sure you won't get hurt or killed....Should we head to Dorado next then? We can get supplies and clothes sent too."

Athena would relay that Reaper was pronounced MIA by Talon and that they were sending agents to hunt him back down. She had been given coordinates from an unknown and untraceable source. " Should we fly there commander?"

Jack grumbled under his breath, obviously more than annoyed that no one would let him go through this alone. He took a moment to think, then sighed in defeat. "I want you all out of the way in whatever base Overwatch has closest to there. And to stay out of my damn way."

"No guarantees!" Reinhardt chimed, seemingly ignoring Jack's growl of frustration.

"This is my mission, I'm still your commander!" He sat back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Yes. On the double," he finally replied to Athena before looking back at the rest of them with a furrowed brow. Ana chuckled and prepared some tea for her and Reinhardt.

" Fine, we'll be in Mexico City, but if you end up in a speck of trouble-"

" We'll be on ya like flies on shit," Jesse smirked. " Can't get rid of us." That made Genji snicker.

" I'll keep them in line Commander, I understand how you feel." He nodded, " Be safe."

Jack sighed deeply. "Couldn't expect any less..." he muttered, sounding like he wasn't sure to be pleased or annoyed by their determination to insert themselves. At least they agreed to be in Mexico City while he was on the ground in Dorado...


	10. Extraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, got hit with a crazy week there whew!~ Sorry this chapter is a little short, but it's been sitting in my drafts the whole week and I don't have time to add to it, so this evening I'll just put everything I wanted to add in the next chapter. I'm back though, and I live for comments so keep 'em coming, any critiques would be greatly appreciated too. Keep in mind I'm not a fluent Spanish speaker and any Spanish in this Fic is what I've found in an English-->Spanish dictionary because I'm awful. As Sombra's release date draws closer I already feel my heart breaking XD Enjoy!

" Alright so just follow my lead and she's sure to like you." 

" Gabe-" 

" You wanted to meet her right?" The older man grinned as he and Jack stood in the airport waiting. Mariana's mother had moved to Mexico to take care of her ailing mother, so visits from the little girl were few and far between. It was very important for him that Jack meet his daughter and she approve of him. So as the little girl was walked off the plane by a stewardess he waved.   
  
" PAPA!" She sprinted for him, and Gabriel laughed as he quickly caught her and spun her into a hug. She started prattling in Spanish, which he was very happy she knew, but he cleared his throat and kissed her head. 

" Papa isn't as good as you are, mija." He grinned as she giggled and nodded. " He's trying though, I'll be able to speak in Spanish with you and mommy soon." He blew a raspberry on her cheek and cackled as she shrieked. He even caught a grin from Jack, and that smile...oh the little country boy could melt his heart...Mariana continued in English then. 

" The ladies were so nice! They made sure I had cookies and helped me when my crayons broke and-" She paused as she noticed Jack then shyly hid in her father's shoulder. Gabriel could only laugh. 

" Mariana, this is daddy's boyfriend," he bounced her, " Jack." she gave a tiny wave then watched him just a little longer. She didn't know now, but she would end up being so comfortable with the other, that she would prefer to sleep between them instead of just on her father's side...she had no way of knowing that right now. 

" Papa..." 

" Hm?" 

" It's time to wake up." 

_Wh-?_

" Papa! Wake up!" 

_Mari-ana?_

" Papa!" 

 

She was completely cloaked, covered from head to toe in a suit she'd made herself to keep the nanobots from burning her. " Papa, please..." She sniffed, " You can't stay out here..." She readied her harness and glanced into the cenote before slowly lowering herself and her father into the cave. Gabriel could already feel ancient souls here...and they wouldn't do much for him, but it would be enough to keep him alive. 

" Mija..." 

" There you are..." she sighed, holding him close as she repelled down the wall and to one of the only dry chambers in the cave. Her teleporter was nearby, but he had obviously missed getting into the cave. " Rest here, they'll be on their way." 

" Who?" but he already knew. Gabriel shivered and moaned as his body threatened to completely fall apart. He could feel his skin drying up and falling off, his teeth and tongue felt dry as the right side of his face decayed again. Mariana was never afraid of him though. He was grateful for such a brave girl...She helped him as much as she could into the chamber they made for him, souls gathering around for him to absorb. 

" Just rest..." Mariana ordered. " I'll bring Jack here, and then I'll meet you wherever he decides to go." 

" But Talon-" 

" Won't be able to track me, and they won't want to if they think I'm dead...how hard can it be to fake your death?" She winked from beneath her mask, gently touching the teeth of the mask to Gabriel's head. " It will probably be a few days before he can get here...I'll try and get you some blood, just make these souls last..." 

" I'll try...." He groaned, leaning on the wall and closing his eyes, " Gracias...mija." She sniffed a little again and smiled softly. 

" Denada papa..." 

Every day for five days Mariana would visit at least thrice. She would try to capture the soul of a gunned down gang member and bring it to him, or the Los Muertos guys would try to follow her through the portal and then Reaper would get them. Gabriel was turning into a caged animal. Mariana was always safe, he continued to remember and be civil to her, but if anyone else came into the Cenote they were prey. She hated what her father was devolving into, but she could do nothing except make sure he was fed and safe...it hurt her heart to watch her once strong and compassionate father fall into what Reaper stood for. While Gabriel's conditioning blamed Jack and Ana and the other heroes, Mariana had been the one to constantly remind Reaper that Jack didn't know anything. Gabriel had written it all down to be sent home to her, to tell her that he was trying to get Uncle Jack out safely and he would be in Dorado with her soon...she kept every letter, and every toy and every silly picture her father ever sent her. So when her security sensors spotted the Overwatch drop ship, she was ready...

 

Jack was dropped in Dorado and then the chopper carried on. The little town was quiet, but it appeared to be getting ready for Halloween and the Day of the Dead shortly after that with all the decorations about. He definitely stood out in this small town as a foreigner, and his mask and outfit gave him away as someone who definitely wasn't a regular foreigner. Mariana watched Jack as he made his way into town, she remained on the roof tops and side streets to keep her distance, but to also make sure this was who she was looking for. Once sure, she slipped out of the alley. 

" Bienvenido, Soldado: 76." She giggled, " It's been a while." She adjusted her mask then waved him to follow. " He's...he's in bad shape."

"Sombra?" he grunted out before huffing, "Where is he?" There it was again... hope. Hope that Gabriel would be okay, would remember him, and would come back. She only nodded as he followed, slipping back into the shadows as they made their way towards her apartment. 

" After everything that happened, Gabriel made sure to prepare a place that was safe to come to." She led Jack a little further into the center of town and then up a flight of stairs to an apartment in the back of the second floor of one of the buildings. She stepped in and took off her mask with Jack....she looked just like Gabriel and yet familiar for a different reason-

Jack met her before.

Mariana Reyes always had a place in her father's wallet, and when she was very little, a place between the two of them when she visited. " I'm sorry I haven't made contact before now, Jack, but I needed to keep his trust until you could crack the brainwashing."

"I should have guessed it was you," he grumbled out with a soft huff, "He only trusted you." Though bitter, it felt like the truth- Gabriel never really did trust Jack when things started going wrong. At least that was how he acted. 

She tapped on a keyboard and a Vishkar series two teleporter opened. " Follow me." He reluctantly followed her, glancing back at it to make sure it didn't blow up behind them or something. He rolled his shoulders as he walked with her.

They reappeared in the large chamber of a cave, the walls were a soft orange with limestone and the center was hollowed out and filled with a large lake over time. It was beautiful...haunting. " This is a cenote...the mayans believed that this was a portal to the afterlife." She trotted ahead, " While that isn't true, what is true, is that spirits tend to gather here....So Gabriel can hide here and recover without having to kill someone."

"So he's in here somewhere?" he muttered, looking for black smoke. She nodded.

" We found it and prepared it together...there's enough crime around Dorado to provide a steady stream of souls sadly..." She huffed, " The Junkers that robbed the bank helped with that for a time." 

" Heh, you'd be surprised if you saw them now," Jack chuckled softly. "...Why you?" He didn't mean for it to be so tactless, but Mariana didn't seem offended. " I mean you're arguably more important but-" 

Mariana scoffed, "He didn't even recognize me when Talon approached Sombra..." She frowned. "Reaper is the conditioning Talon created to kill you and wipe out Overwatch. Every meeting you've had has made papa fight the conditioning. Asking questions makes that happen faster....he didn't remember me until a year in...I-" She paused, " When they pronounced him dead....they sent me his wallet. I showed him the pictures and he remembered me almost immediately. Reaper is so focused on revenge and anger he's a ghost. Reaper doesn't remember, but the man does." She made her way to the back of the cave, a cloud of blood-scented smoke was curling and writhing in its own chamber, and the light from the path was the only light in it.  A figure was crouched in the center of the cloud, he was panting, and his voice sounded choked. Mariana grimaced before she stepped in, pulling her mask back on and her cloak around her, she hadn't put her gloves back on, and in hind sight she was quite upset with herself for that.

"Papá...." her voice from there was too quiet to make out but it wasn't in english. Gabriel slowly tried to pull everything together, and the figure looked like a corpse from some kind of zombie movie. His skin was ashen, bone and muscle were seen through patches of missing skin, and as he slowly looked up the whole half of his skin on the lower right side of his jaw was gone, showing sharp teeth...like a monster hiding behind a torn mask. As the cloud died down, Mariana helped him stand and sighed. "Can you go with them now?...My program will keep downloading, and the firewall will install itself. I don't need you to protect me, but I need you alive..."

Gabriel nodded slowly before the rest of his clothes formed....but beneath the jacket was the old Blackwatch uniform...not Talon armor. It was as if he didn't know who he was or what was more comfortable to believe. He was a mess.

Jack approached, but could only grimace at Gabriel's appearance. "Gabe... come on, Reyes, you need to pull yourself together," he muttered softly, holding out one hand for him. He paused before pulling off his mask to reveal his face. "I need you, okay? You might not need me, but I'm not going to let you die in a cave. We'll figure something out in Gibraltar." He glanced at Sombra, "Whatever you're working on... is that to help him too?"

She smirked, " It's a god program that will override the one Talon is working with. I tweaked the files Anubis gave me and turned that piece of junk in to them. Mine is called Horus and it's basically going to act as a virus protector to all online omnics. Talon won't know what hit them." Mariana gasped as her father's form flickered again, and she quickly helped Jack support him. "We have to leave. I'll meet up with you when I can, but I have to pretend like I don't know what's going on, and then I'll stage my death or imprisonment or something." She huffed. " Can't be too hard right? I mean you and Ana pulled it off and I've outsmarted you guys thrice." She winked and Jack huffed at her.

Gabriel let out an airy, echo-y chuckle at that. Jack tightened his grip instinctively, as if his body had already decided for him that he wasn't going to let Gabriel slip away again.

" Now go on Papa, let Jack help you..." She re-routed the teleporter to another she had set up not far from Jack's truck when he pulled in. " I'd know you anywhere." She smiled softly, " Take him home."

" Mi-ja..." Gabriel groaned as the black smoke curled around a skeletal hand that reached for her.

" Ay, stop complaining, I'll be there soon." she kissed his cheek through her mask, raised it, then kissed Jack's. " Take care of him gringo or I'll skin you myself." She smirked and slid her thumb across her throat just like her dad would before flipping down her mask and disappearing back through the teleporter. It shut down shortly after.

"Try to help you... as best we can," he muttered softly before sighing. He helped Gabriel through the teleporter, and quickly into his truck.

For the first time in years, Gabriel saw panic in Jack's unmasked face as he picked up the phone. As soon as Ana picked up, he was giving orders- "Get an evac ready now. Get Angela on prep to receive us in Gibraltar, and tell her it's life or death". It took a few more minutes after the call was finished and Jack was gripping the wheel tightly before he could look at Gabriel again. "I never thought I'd see you again..."

" Jack..." Gabriel's voice was choked, and he slumped against the seat, his body unable to decide if it wanted to stay solid or turn to mist. His eyes fell closed for a moment, " I need...to feed..." He wheezed then smiled softly as Jack continued. " That was the point I think..." He shuddered, " I was supposed to be dead..." Gabriel curled in on himself then and furrowed his brow. " I need a soul..."

"Don't talk," Jack warned before pausing as he realized what Gabriel just said. He cursed under his breath, pressing down on the gas pedal harder. "Well the only one here is mine, and unless you can feed off of it and keep me alive, we're going to have to start hoping you can make it there..." he murmured, though there was fear in his voice and his eyes. His whole body was rigid. "Or just take mine. Whatever. You can get through this..." But Jack couldn't get through watching him die again...

" Pull over..." Gabriel hissed, " I think I'm gonna hurl..." He shivered, " No keep driving. I lied, just go." He winced, " I can make it..." He ground his teeth and panted like he was in pain. If he couldn't feed again he was going to completely disintegrate...he was sure of that at least. He slammed his fist on the car door then shuddered again. " Ngh...Pull over...I'm serious this time I can use you..."

Once the car was stopped, Gabriel leaned over the center console. "...Do you trust me, Jack?" He blinked then sniggered, "Stupid question."

" I want to..." There was silence between them...Gabriel sighed then leaned over the center console just a little more. He gingerly took the back of Jack's head and kissed him...but his lips were cold and chapped, not what Jack remembered, but Gabriel could practically hear his heart racing. He held him there until Jack started to feel tired, and heavy. When Gabriel pulled away, he wiped his mouth and leaned back on the seat with a sigh....stable at least, but still leaking black smoke from his exposed teeth and jaw.

" Now drive before it wears off..."

"Ngh, that better hold you. You're not kissing anyone else," he grumbled, quickly speeding back on the road despite how foggy he felt.

Gabriel smirked then snickered, " I don't plan to..." He fell asleep on the way there, finally able to rest without nightmares, the pieces of Jack's soul floating around inside him showed him happy memories...and not the darkness and sorrow other souls usually assaulted him with...then again their host was dead, and Jack was still alive...He could hear voices but not make out words, and he was slowly moved, but he couldn't wake.

Ana grimaced at the look of his face, " It's gotten worse..." She sighed. Genji and Jesse were silent, but the look of anguish on Jesse's face was hard to miss. He watched Jack lay Gabriel in a seat and buckle him down, quick to take the seat beside him. He was still quiet, but he put Gabe's old beanie under his head as a small pillow. After everything he said and the big talk he talked, Jesse McCree was far more attached to Gabriel than he wanted to admit. This was the man that saved him, that showed him the right way and taught him everything he knew. This was the man that filled the hole in his soul for not having a father figure to look up to...and seeing him like this hurt more than he thought it would. Jack flopped into the seat beside Jesse.

"Get moving. Now," he growled out as his mask slid off, "We've got a lot of ground to cover and zero time to do it. What did Angela say?" he demanded, looking back at Ana. Though his voice was authoritative, it was clear his body was spent and he was exhausted. He refused to sleep, however. 

" She doesn't know what she can do...but she's willing to be ready to try." Ana nodded, " Another dose of nanobots could help, but she says he focuses on the last few moments of a cell, before it receives the death command, he steals the soul that way...he can live off of a host by taking multiple small doses from any one person- BUT she says it's a risky choice and a bad idea." She quickly pointed out.

"Alright... risky plans are my specialty," he muttered tiredly.

" I'll do it." Jesse huffed, " If Jack can't take it one day I'll help..."

Jack whirled around in his seat so fast his head might spin. "Absolutely not!" he grumbled out, "Reyes would kill me if I let anything happen to you or Genji, and if either of you even attempt it, I'll murder you myself." He huffed and sat back in his seat. "If anyone is taking stupid risks for Commander Reyes, it's going to be me."

" You both will need to speak with Angela...for now it looks like he's okay..."

Reinhardt chuckled softly. "You two are like his children," he commented with a smile at Jesse and Genji. "Don't look sad, Commander Morrison is doing what any good step dad would," he teased, putting an arm around Genji while smiling at Jesse. Jack only scoffed at the comparison.

Jesse blinked then held up his hands with a nervous chuckle. "Whoa, easy. He's the closest thing I have to family besides you..." He huffed. "Thought I'd offer t' help if I could..."

"You can help by keeping your ass alive, got it?" Jack scoffed.

Ana smiled softly, "I'm sure he and his daughter appreciate it."

"Daughter?" Jesse raised a brow.

"Oh he didn't tell you? He must have known you two would try and court her." Ana laughed at that. "He used to call you two el córneo lobos."

"Horny wolves?" Jesse raised a brow.

"She will be coming soon too. Maybe," he murmured to her, slumping in his seat a bit. "She became Sombra to protect him."

Genji took off his helm with a sigh and couldn't help but consider himself lucky that it wasn't him looking like that. He leaned against Reinhardt. "I didn't realize it was so bad..."

Reinhardt gave Genji a little squeeze. "Commander Reyes is a fighter. You will see him again."


	11. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many amazing songs and playlists to thank here lol so I comprised my own on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/allison-dishman/sets/reaper-76
> 
> Then there's the multiple 8tracks playlists here: http://8tracks.com/asaraanda/a-distant-echo --- here: http://8tracks.com/zenyattas/dying-is-fine --- and here: http://8tracks.com/saeran-choi/smoke-mirrors
> 
> I'm really sorry if you guys were expecting more, but I felt this was a good place to end. I'll add any future installments to other fics, but I think I've alluded to what I want you all to think happens next. I'm so happy you all have enjoyed this and look forward to writing other stories in the future with Mineyjan for your enjoyment thank you~

Once they touched down in Gibraltar, Angela was there with a stretcher, grimacing as she caught sight of Gabriel. "He needs another dose..." She was quick to provide then started to lead the floating stretcher toward the medical wing. Ana didn't let anyone follow her or Jack.

"This needs to be just him and Gabe..."

 

Gabriel was still out, he had groaned softly when Jack picked him up, but did not wake. Angela insisted that was normal fatigue from starvation and exhaustion. She wheeled him in then began supplementing his form with the nanoserum before sighing softly. "I don't have any cadavers or recently dead tissue with cells to harvest for a 'soul', but you said he fed from you?"

 "Yeah, he fed from me. Need to take my blood now or is that not enough?" he asked softly before dragging a chair to Gabriel's bedside.

"Blood might work just as well..." She crossed her arms. "When he wakes we'll try blood, I have plenty of bags for transfusion, but he needs to consume it." She gave him another injection before he completely stabilized. "I'm...I'm so sorry Jack, this...this is-" she didn't finish, furrowing her brow to sigh and keep from crying. "I let them make me a murderer..."

"Angela, it's fine," he murmured, obviously exhausted as he sat down. "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter now. What matters is getting him back and getting him stable."

"You need your own rest, Jack." 

He growled, glaring at her from behind his mask. "I've had worse. I want to be here when he wakes up..." He tried to put all his weight in the chair, but Angela was still able to rock him onto his feet.

She pushed him to a bed near Gabriel's. "Lay down, get some rest, I'll handle Gabriel."

"I'll be fine..." Though he could see that this wasn't going to fly. "Angela... please wake me the second he comes back..."

" I promise, I'll wake you." She smiled as she helped him into the bed then wheeled it over to be beside Gabriel's. " I can't have you touching him yet, he might accidentally hurt you in your sleep, but you can watch over him." He was so peaceful looking...actually asleep and a soft smile on his lips...what was he dreaming about? 

He pointed at her to make his point even more solid. "Not a second longer," he muttered, rolling onto his side to watch Gabriel. He wanted him to just wake up... even if he was cursing and trying to kill him, that was all he needed. Just to see him alive...

 

Gabriel would wake before Jack, and he wondered and observed the same thing. Jack was always damn near celestial to him, blond hair, blue eyes....blond now silvered platinum, and Angela had taken off his mask, so Gabriel got to see his pretty face. "Heh...mi sol no mas...mi luna..." He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. _Luz de mi vida...I used to call him that..._ Angela was asleep at her desk, and Gabriel found himself more solid than he had been in years...maybe she was right with this whole blood thing...he drifted away though, walking around the lab and then through a wall. He could drift around the base and return before anyone noticed.

Unfortunately, Jack woke up soon after Gabriel left but before he came back.

"Gabe!" he gasped out, seeing no sign of him. He scrambled to quickly try and find his visor, but he ended up falling out of bed with a heavy thump. His body hadn't quite caught up to his brain yet, but he sluggishly grabbed his visor off of the table and snapped it on to try and look for Gabriel. The visor found the cold spots where he'd passed through the walls and Jack was quick to follow them. They soon led him outside the lab where foot prints now brought Jack to a cliffside. Gabriel was standing there...looking over the water and the sunrise.

"Haven't been here in a while..." he murmured, hands in his pockets...he looked more normal than he had earlier. His skin was still ashen and the scars that covered his arms were silvered. He smiled softly under his hood as Jack came forward.

"You could have woken me up or said something..." He sighed slowly, his lack of sleep catching up to him again. "How... how are you feeling? You look better..." he murmured before remembering he was Soldier 76. He wasn't supposed to care. "... I thought I'd lost you again..." he muttered softly. He did care. He cared way too much. Gabriel was quiet, but he chuckled at Jack's concern.

"You would always chase after me...wouldn't you, Jackie?" He didn't look at him yet. Jack scoffed softly before he removed his mask to reveal the relief in his eyes, even if his expression was hard. He didn't seem as soft or hopeful as he had in his youth, more world-weary, like a true old soldier.

"Haven't I proved that enough?"

"Heh...you have....Was I right?" His tone hardened, "Did they really kill us just to see what would happen?" Now he turned. His retinas were black, eyes a dark blood red. Some of the skin had regenerated on his cheek (his teeth could still be seen however), that stupid stache-beard Jack had teased him about was still just as well groomed as it always had been, and he hadn't aged at all. He was almost the same man that died before Jack's eyes.

"Now that's a question I've been searching for the answer to for years. I don't know if it's so simple..." He took a deep breath. "You're here. That's a victory for me..." He was in the dark, but Gabriel had already decided for himself what High Command had thought...didn't matter now, they were dead. He stared at his hands just a second.

"How many souls did she scrounge for to make me so...solid?"

"Not souls. Blood. She said it should give you the same effects. Seems it worked, at least a bit," he murmured, his exhaustion clear, but Jack Morrison was still standing. "She also mentioned you could feed off of one person indefinitely if you had to."

" I'm a damn vampire, now? Oh, you know what? That's great I always wanted to try tearing someone's throat out and sticking a straw through the hole..." He huffed, apparently still upset that this didn't work the first time. " Bad enough I taste nothing but ash and death when I do eat, let's just add drinking blood on top of it, like a fine wine they say." He huffed air through his teeth like a hissing noise. He then registered what exactly Jack had said at the end of that though. " You volunteered didn't you cabrón? No wonder I had such good dreams." He snickered as he calmed, watching Jack watch him. 

"Gabe," he murmured firmly, exhausted but trying to stay standing for this fight.

" Jack." He huffed back, Jack groaned and already felt a headache blossoming from it.

"Don't start...Yes, I did. Because you getting an IV of blood or feeding off of me is better than your murder spree," he murmured before he sighed slowly. "And because I couldn't let Genji or Jesse take my place..." He paused, wondering if Gabriel would understand the implications of his words. Gabriel had crossed his arms, but his stance wasn't aggressive, he was listening to Jack. He was right... he was always right but seeing Jack looking so old and broken and tired didn't hold the smug satisfaction he thought it would. 

"They both saw you, Gabe. Jesse was ready to die right there if it would bring you back," he murmured before smirking a bit, "I've tried to be a good 'step dad' for them... but they'll want to see you too."  Mariana was his daughter, being raised by her mother and brought up to be a good little girl while he was away and saving the world...he had the boys. 

" Here I thought the ingrate hated me..." He leaned on the wall. Jesse had spit venom at him the last time they fought, then again he'd been hunting him. In the end Reaper was unable to do the job, and left Jesse standing in the desert with a bloody nose and an empty revolver. As for Genji...Reaper never pinpointed the ninja. He would be seen somewhere only to pack up and leave a few hours later...he taught the kid too well. 

"You know better, Gabe. You gave that kid a life..." he muttered before shaking his head. "I'm fairly certain Jesse is pissed that I wouldn't let him do something stupid," he muttered before shaking his head. "And Genji... Genji has grown up quite a bit. He's not the young man seeking revenge any longer."

" They're good guys, I'm sure they appreciated your hand in all that." He smiled now, relaxing further. He grimaced and held his head as conditioning threatened to overtake his memories. A deep breath and a stagger backwards had him back in the right mind. " Take me back...just walk me back to Angela's lab..."

He nodded and waved for Gabriel to follow him, though he didn't bother putting his mask back on. "You should rest, if you can. No doubt when the others catch wind of your recovery, you'll have an endless stream of visitors."

" I wouldn't say I'm recovering too quickly now," He scoffed. "Unless Angela's magical serum is one hundred percent ready and great." He huffed, " No I...they fed me so many lies I can't decide what's real anymore..." He rubbed his temples and drifted after him.

Jack paused. "If you trust me, I'll help you..." he offered, looking back at Gabriel. "If you trust me," he repeated, wanting to make clear that he wasn't here to spoon-feed more lies or tell him how to think or feel. 

 

By the time they got back to the lab, Gabriel was smoking like a chimney.

Angela gasped and huffed, " Gabriel you shouldn't have used so much energy." She quickly helped Jack with him, putting him on a table and retrieving another bag of blood. She couldn't exactly start a drip for a being who literally had no veins. " We need to feed the nanobots..." She handed him a straw then sighed, " I'm sorry I can't do better." 

"We'll find something, Gabe..." Jack murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed Angela had made him sleep in. He didn't want to sleep yet, though, not now when Gabriel was awake and talking and just... here. He didn't want to waste time with sleep.

" ...It's like a really nasty capri sun." He sniggered. putting the straw where a drip would actually go. He sat back on the bed and sipped on it. " Ugh fuck that's nasty..."

"You'll live," he teased gently, meaning both figuratively and literally.

" I haven't figured out what went wrong with the nano bots, but maybe if I introduce more to your system they'll start recovering and healing each other..."

" No more experiments doc," Gabriel warned with a slight growl. " I don't want to be more of a freak thanks."

Angela pouted at him, but agreed with a nod, " No more experiments on you...but your nanobots?" She only had to catch some black mist in a jar. " I will test on."

"At least you're still here..." Jack reminded him gently with a sigh. He hoped that was enough. It was for him, but Gabriel? He figured Gabe would have rather switched places with him then go through this. "That should help..." he murmured, referencing Angela's nanobots.

" ...I am still here..." He stared at his hand as he finished the blood pack. Angela disposed of it for him. He yawned and lay back, "Jack...we're fine here. You need to sleep." He watched him, wondering for a moment if all of their fighting had just been a really long dream... "I'll still be here."

"Obviously you won't be, considering you weren't when I just woke up," Jack muttered gruffly before slowly standing.

"I just left the room ya paranoid old man." he teased. 

Jack ignored him. "I'm sure the others will want to see you without me hovering here. Angela, call me if there's any progress." He paused, looking back at Gabriel. He was silent for a moment, just staring at him before he sighed. "Get better, Gabe. I know you can." With that he slipped out the door, heading for his own room to finally sleep for the first time in days. As he left though, Ana had been waiting outside the door, as soon as she was given permission, she slid in after him. The angry Arabic and teasing could be heard on the other side of the hall...

 

When Jack woke up hours later, Gabriel was scoping out the inside of a glass case. It was large and roomy, had an area for his bed, a TV, dresser and an arm chair. "Voyeuristic much Doc?"

"It's just to monitor your progress, no spying or creepy watching about it." She smiled softly, "Strictly science."

"Why the glass? Does that really make a difference in how he forms?" Jack walked in, for the first time in a long time not wearing his mask around the base. He did still have it in his hands, however, as if he could snap it into place and avoid having anyone see or read his face at the slightest comment. His eyes immediately found Gabriel as he entered. " Are you okay with this?" He was satisfied with Gabriel's nod. 

"The nanobots that comprise his body will eat just about anything, so this special glass should keep them from escaping and looking for more food. Parts of Gabriel's conditioning has actually affected him at the microscopic level...Talon has a way of uploading a virus to the nanotech it's so strange....and difficult to crack." 

"Mariana has been trying to break it for a while..." Gabriel agreed. "It's tough, but she thinks a Trojan she implanted in the Anubis copy Talon is getting will help her get in and fish for the antivirus..."

Angela nodded, "I'm sure you noticed how carrying him burned? The nanobots were trying to eat you."

"Great, well... you and Mariana are bright kids. I'm sure you can handle it..." he murmured before looking back at Gabriel. "In the meantime how are you feeling? Any more stable?" Jack seemed to be back to his old self, though an older and more mature version of the Jack Morrison Gabriel saw last. He was rested which meant his Commander hat was back on.

Gabriel sniggered at Jack, "So official all of a sudden..." He sighed and nodded, watching Jack as he relaxed, his shoulders dropping and the hint of a smile touching his face...he still had a way of lighting up the room didn't he? "Yea, I'm not decaying nearly as much...and nothing has fallen off so we're good there too." His eyes were still red, but the retina was slowly losing the pitch black. It was more of a dark grey now. Angela giggled at the dreamy look in Gabe's eyes though. 

"The small victories then," Jack mused with a soft chuckle before he realized he probably looked like a fool just starting at Gabriel. "Well I'm glad you seem stable, at least... You must still have questions, right?"

"Stable in state of being maybe..." He grumbled. A quick response to Jack's question was: "Plenty. There's a lot that's been scrambled." Gabriel sighed and crossed his arms again. "You okay with Angie being around?"

"I can leave you two..." she offered then paused, "Right...I will leave you two." She slipped out. 

"Sometimes I feel like the edges of reality are fading and everything looks like a prison..." He frowned. "I can't see between conditioning and real life. It just flickers in and out..."

"What can I do to help?" he said, his expression hardened with determination. "How can I help show you what was real and what you were told was real?" He paused and cautiously placed one hand against the glass. "We weren't perfect, I'm not going to pretend we were."

His hand found Jack's and he left it pressed against the glass. "...We were far from perfect. It felt right and good though...for a long time. I remember waking up in a room and hearing your voice...seeing your face..." He let his head thunk against the glass. "I was told over and over how you never loved me...I was a means of promotion and status...you wanted to leave me behind for Overwatch but I refused to be left alone...so I came too and it wasn't just command getting rid of me..."

He couldn't hide the disgust on his face. "You really think I faked all of that?" he murmured before trying to calm down. He was frustrated though, more with Talon than anything else. He took a deep breath and let it out to try and stay calm.

" I...I told them I knew you," Gabriel leaned back, " That you'd never do anything like that...but every relationship has its weak points, and every time I thought I was happy I was making someone else miserable." He groaned, " Why should we have been any different? I was miserable, so that meant you must have been doing something right, yea?" He closed his eyes. " It was your face, your voice...telling me how useless I was. I heard and felt and saw everything as if you were saying it yourself...how insubordinate Jesse was and how I should have been ashamed for accepting him into Blackwatch when he couldn't fully go straight anyway." He grit his teeth, " How Genji was nothing more than a weapon his whole life and he'd never be anything more...and after days without any sign of anyone trying to find me...I started to believe it." Gabriel huffed, "Sometimes I look around and this still looks like a prison somewhere instead of a doctor's office...it's that bad..." He sighed, " I'm working my way out of it...but it's not easy..." Jack listened but he frowned as Gabriel continued, just for a moment wishing he could hold him and show him that none of it was true. That he was wanted and needed and Jack trusted his judgement more than he should have. 

"Gabriel... my problem was that I loved you too much," he murmured, looking back at him, "I loved you so much it hurt when we fought or when you doubted that I could lead Overwatch on my own. I respected your command, I wanted to show you I could be someone worthy of my title, but I never felt good enough for you." He paused and glanced away, "And I probably wasn't. But I always, always loved you. I still do...you know, you were the best example of a Commander and leadership I ever had," he started before he sighed. He pulled away for a moment only to pull up a chair. "I did think Jesse was a rash choice, but you molded him. After what they did to Genji, you and Reinhardt gave him stability." He sat down, shaking his head.

"I thought you were dead. If I knew, I would have dug through rubble for days once I woke up..."

" ...I was dead." He sneered, suddenly angry again. The smoke flared around him and he pulled away from the wall. " I was dead and they made Angela try to bring me back- I should have been left there, or taken to a real hospital..." He took a deep breath to calm down, slowly reforming, sharp teeth hiding back behind a familiar face again. " Now...I'm a monster. Fuck I'm a god damn nightmare!" He slammed his fist against the glass and crumbled to his knees. " Not even human anymore...am I even me?" He stared at his hands. " If I'm nothing more than a bunch of tiny robots projecting a face....am I even Gabriel Reyes anymore?"

Jack listened but he took a deep breath and settled into his chair. His hand never left the window. He wasn't sure if that was to comfort Gabriel or himself. "You are Gabriel Reyes. You aren't a monster or robots or whatever," he insisted, knowing that Gabriel would probably keep fighting him and keep pushing back. "You are you. That's how I feel. You died and came back... as an angel of death maybe, but you're still the Reyes I remember, pouting and all."

"How do you know that though Jack?!" he shouted. "How do we know..." His voice lowered. Gabriel huffed and fell into an angry silence.

"I just do," Jack murmured before Gabriel fumed, and Jack couldn't help it. He smiled softly. It was the first time in a long time he'd watched him, and he could be absolutely certain this was Reyes. Not a ghost or a vengeful spirit, but the same, firey Reyes that threw little fits of anger like this all the time.

"Heh, I don't pout...I stew..." He stood and drifted back to the window, touching the glass again. "Am I still your angel? My wings are nothing but bone now...mi sol..." He knelt to be at the same height. "Stop fucking grinning like that I'm trying to be mad and you're being cute!"

"Always," Jack replied immediately to Gabriel's question, his smile only growing before he chuckled softly. He quickly wiped his eyes. "It's just... been so long since I've gotten to watch you stew," he teased gently, his eyes a little wet as he spoke.

Gabriel paused then smiled back, "Ay...don't start crying now." He huffed, "Not when I can't kiss you..." He curled his fingers against the glass with a heavy sigh. He loved him...even Reaper had loved Jack and that's what made the angry ghost most upset...he loved a man who supposedly couldn't love him back.

Jack chuckled, quickly wiping his eyes, as if that made it any better. "I know, I know... call me what you want, but I can't help it." 

"...I missed you too Jack." Gabriel placed his forehead against the glass then. Jack watched Reyes closely before letting out a choked chuckle and repeating the gesture.

"I'm glad to hear it, love," he murmured, smiling softly as he tried to regain his composure. "There were days it felt like I could hardly breathe without you... so you can damn well bet I'm working as hard as I can to get you help..."

" Thank you..." He sat back then. " We're getting closer aren't we?"

"We'd fucking better be..." Jack muttered with a soft sigh, "Otherwise you're going to be living off of my soul or my blood or whatever, and I'm going to have to move into your little glass bubble." He smirked.

" Mi luna...la luz de mi vida." Gabriel teased, trying to trace Jack's face from the other side of the glass. The other tilted his head. 

"Heh, luna? Like moon? Wasn't I your sun before?"

" You're not exactly gold anymore." He teased, sitting now instead of kneeling. Once again Jack huffed in offense, running one hand through his hair a little self consciously. Still, he smiled as Gabriel settled down, sliding out of his chair to settle on the floor across from him with a sigh. Gabriel continued, " Heh...just let me get a little more stable and I'll be outside this bubble..."

"Then I can cry all I want and you'll have to kiss me, right?" he teased with a chuckle.

" All the time..." 


End file.
